What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
by CrystalDream
Summary: When you live in Amity Park, you know there is always the chance of being captured by a ghost. And one day, it finally happens, to Danny Fenton. Now enslaved by Vlad, he works in the ghost's Wisconsin mansion. Escape...full summaryrating info inside DXS
1. Memories of a past

**Hey everyone!** **Well, here it is! My second fic, yay!! I'm soo excited to put this up :) lol**

**Summary: When you live in Amity Park, you know there is always the chance of being captured by a ghost. And one day, it finally happens...to Danny Fenton. Now enslaved by Vlad, he works in the ghost's Wisconsin mansion. Escape is an option, but perhaps staying sane is a priority. **

**Okay, so this rated T just in case (and maybe for later too). **

**Alrighty, well, I don't have much else to say, so...enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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**Danny's POV**

_Drip._

I heard the droplets of water clank against the hard, cold floor.

_Drip._

There goes another one…

Hmm, I think that had been the 637th one. Or was it 673rd? I wasn't sure, I'd lost count quite awhile ago. But it was all I could do to keep myself entertained.

I sat in the furthest and darkest corner of the small, empty, windowless room, my knees brought up to my chest, my arms wrapped tightly around my legs. My head was tilted to one side, leaning against the cold, discolored wall. I shut my eyes tightly, memories and scenes from the past few hours swirling through my mind, creating a painful vortex. I flung my eyes open, hoping that maybe, just maybe, this was all a dream… well actually, more like a nightmare. No such luck. What I had experienced was _real_. Those past few hours were _real. _

How could so much have happened in so little time? It was impossible to believe that just a few hours ago, I was at the bowling alley with my two best friends, eating, playing and laughing. It seemed impossible that it was just a few hours ago that Sam had punched me in the shoulder for staring at Paulina; that Tucker had accidentally spilled his soft drink on his brand-new PDA; that I myself had gotten three strikes in bowling.

_Tucker. Sam. _

I felt the heat steaming from my eyes as I tried to hold back tears. What had happened anyways?

* * *

"_Tucker! Give me back my fry!" Sam smiled as she playfully punched him in the shoulder. _

"_Hey Sam, aren't you vegetari-," I started._

"_Ultra-recyclo vegetarian." Sam quickly corrected me._

"_Uh…yeah. And you know those fries are fried in meat sauce?"_

"_Yeah well, I had them make it special for me…uhh…Danny? Helloo? Are you there?" Sam waved her hand in front of my suddenly distracted face. I was yet again absorbed in the contemplation of Paulina, who was walking by, struggling to hold up her bowling ball. I sighed, mesmerized. Sam rolled her eyes in disgust._

_"Get up Romeo, it's your turn," she grumbled, her tone a mix of exasperation and bitterness. She shoved a bowling ball in my hands. I tried to hold the ball, but it turned invisible, (as did my hands), and then simply phased through me._

"_Dude, it's happening again…" Tucker remarked. _

"_Thaaank you Captain Obvious." Sam retorted. _

_"Aww man… I can't stand this. It keeps happening! I just turn invisible and stuff goes right through me! I don't get it!" I complained, looking around frantically to make sure no one had seen this._

"_Haven't you told your folks yet Danny?" Sam inquired._

"_Yeah, maybe they could do something about it. You know, they could use their cool ghost weapon stuff," Tucker added._

"_I don't wanna tell them," I said. _

"_Why?"_

"_I don't know… I just have this feeling that I shouldn't tell them…It's like my natural instinct telling me not to or something," I replied uncomfortably, "Besides, I don't like getting mixed up with my parent's ghost business." _

_Tucker opened his mouth to say something._

_That's when it happened. A loud crash came from above us, as a large muscular ghost in a metal looking suit burst into the bowling alley. He held a large gun in one hand. Children and adults tried to flee, though it wasn't an easy escape. Once the hunter had his eyes set on the prey, he'd aim and shoot. And he rarely missed._

_I was lost amidst the commotion and confusion. I stood frozen, rooted to the ground. In the panic, I couldn't find himself able to even move._

"_MOVE, DUDE! NOW!" Tucker shouted, running._

"_DANNY!! RUN!" Sam echoed her friend._

_Finally, the message reached my brain, and I started running. But it was too late. I felt a powerful blast hit me right in the middle of my back. I stumbled, and fell to the ground, unable to rise again._

"_This one should be a nice addition to the collection," the ghost said. I recognized the voice. It was that predator ghost. _

_I felt myself being hoisted up by the ghost, and then thrown into a small compartment, as I blacked out._

* * *

I sighed as I wiped the tears from my face. I couldn't cry. I had to be strong. I wasn't going to break. But that was easier said than done. I wasn't sure exactly where I was, or what was going to happen to me. Anxiety and fear swept through me as a vivid image and memory of the ghost that captured me earlier hovered before my face. I quickly opened my eyes, making sure the actual ghost wasn't in front of me. I sighed in relief. What was his name again? Oh yeah, Skulker. Apparently (according to the ghost), the liquid he'd used to shoot me was a double dose of heavily concentrated tranquillizer. It was so strong that it could actually put me to sleep. How a tranquillizer, which was supposed to relieve pain, could _cause _so much pain, was beyond me. Maybe Skulker was lying? Whatever. It didn't matter. 

The only thing I was concerned about was my near future, (assuming I had a future at all, that is). What would happen to me? I'd heard stories of people who were captured by this ghost. In fact, there were even a few in last week's newspaper. I remembered the headline clearly. Jazz had been brooding over the subject at breakfast. I, both indifferent and apathetic about the topic, had finally had enough of her and had asked her to: "Please SHUTUP!" Jazz had rolled her eyes, but thrust the paper in my hands, forcing me to drop my bread roll.

"It's really weird Danny. Everyone who's been captured by this guy has disappeared and never returned!"

**THE PREDATOR STRIKES AGAIN!** The headline read. 

I remembered reading that no one knew where the poor prisoners were taken after the ghost had captured them.

_I know where…_ I thought bitterly.

Once again, I plunged into the deep pool of my recent memories. What had happened to me after the attack? I'd woken up, and then…

* * *

_I awoke with a jump. My captor shoved me to my feet. _

"_Get up whelp," he growled harshly. _

_I was forced to rise, but upon doing so, I felt an enormous weight pulling me down. I stumbled and fell to the ground. _

_CLANK!_

_From the corner of my eye, I noticed a glint of silver near my foot. I looked down, only to see a large, thick silver brace clipped around my ankle. Chained to the brace was a large, heavy ball. _

"_Like it?" the ghost smirked, "It's to make sure you don't run away."_

"_What's going on?" I groaned, still in pain from the "tranquillizer" that had entered my body earlier. I could feel it flowing through my veins, burning me up inside. Despite the pain, I rose to my feet, careful not to fall this time._

_"You're in the Storage Room, kid. This is where I store all my prisoners until they're needed," he replied, somewhat bored, though a hint of excitement could be detected in his voice. Excitement caused by the thrill of causing pain to yet another helpless person, no doubt._

_"_Needed_?" I managed, apprehensively, uncertainly._

_The ghost only smirked. I waited awhile more, before Skulker left the room. I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder, and turned around quickly. A girl about my age looked him in the eyes._

"_Are you new here?" she whispered softly. She had no chains, but there were glowing circles around her hands. Almost like ghostly handcuffs._

_I nodded._

"_My name is Gwen. I'm from Amity Park," the girl said, wiping her eyes. They were red, as though she'd been crying. She brushed back one of her curls. Silvery blue eyes __shimmered from underneath the thick layer of bluish-black hair covering her face._

"_Um, hi…I'm Danny…I'm from Amity too…uh…where are we?" I asked weakly._

"_Storage Room…" she said sourly._

"_I know, but…" _

_The girl sighed wearily. _

"_Didn't Skulker tell you?"_

_I shook his head hesitantly. _

"_Well he said I'd stay here until I was needed. What does that mean?" I spoke the word 'needed' with great unease._

"_He didn't explain the system to you, huh? Well, this is an organization. They hire ghosts to 'hunt' for either humans, or simply other ghosts, that they will, once captured, keep as Prisoners. Then, every day, they take a few Prisoners to the Picking Room. There, they are bid on by other ghosts and then sold to the highest bidder as a slave. It's like an auction. The hunter ghosts are paid commission depending on the number of people and ghosts they manage to sell, so they'll do virtually anything to get rid of the Prisoners."_

_I trembled in spite of myself. A look of disgust spread over my face._

"_I know. It's inhumane," the girl agreed._

"_Are we even still on earth?" I asked._

"_Well…we're kind of like in another dimension. It's called the Ghostzone. It's like a ghost world, instead of a human world." _

_I nodded to show his comprehension. _

"_You don't really know much about ghosts for someone who comes from Amity…"_

"_Well, my parents are ghost hunters, but I don't like to get mixed up in that sort of stuff." I replied._

_I hesitated a few moments before speaking again._

"_How long have you been here?" I whispered._

_The girl smiled bitterly. _

"_Too long. I don't even know actually. Maybe a month, maybe two. It may've just been a few weeks. But it's been a long time."_

"_But wouldn't Skulker want to get rid of you so he could get more money?"_

___"I dunno. He keeps saying he's keeping me for something special." The girl shuddered._

* * *

Then what had happened? That was it. The rest was a blur. 

I sat in complete silence for a few minutes. I could hear drops of water clank against the floor. I shut my eyes tightly, trying desperately to remember what had happened next. Then I realized that, even if I did remember, there was no point. The past didn't matter anymore. Only the future, and what would happen to me in it mattered. I didn't even know why I cared so much about that particular memory. Did it hold some sort of clue or importance?

I squeezed my eyes closed even more tightly, a tear rolling down my cheek. The salty water leaked in through my lips and entered my mouth. A small sob escaped my mouth. I sat there awhile longer. Slowly, my sadness and grief transformed into anger…rage.

How could that…that…that…ghost do such things! It was cruel! It was simply _inhumane_! I clenched my hands, seething. Just then I, felt my hands heat up, like fire. Literally. My jaw dropped and I gaped at my fists in awe; they were glowing with green fire!

_What the…?_

I wrinkled my forehead in confusion as I stared at my hands in shock and amazement. My anger quickly died down, replacing itself with curiosity and wonder. I stared at my hands for a few moments more, clenching and unclenching them, moving them in front of me, and trying to figure out the mystery. But soon afterwards, the green fire died out.

_What is happening to me…? _

Then, as if relinquishing all hope, I gave a small sigh and let my head fall forward in defeat. Then, once again, subconsciously, I began rummaging through his memories.

* * *

_There was a boy sitting at a round kitchen table. He leafed through the pages of a magazine, but it was obvious that he wasn't the least bit interested in it. _

"_Hey…" said a girl's voice. _

"_Go away," the boy grunted, immediately recognizing his sister's voice._

"_C'mon Danny, what's wrong? You've never pushed me away like this before!" Jazz urged. She put a comforting arm around her younger brother. He pushed it away._

"_Just leave me alone, ok?" he pleaded, irritated._

"_Danny! Please!" Jazz cried, her eyes pleading. Danny hated seeing his sister like this, but despite himself, he felt his anger boil inside. _

"_Go AWAY!" Danny finally screamed. _

_"Look Danny," Jazz pointed out, in her annoyingly condescending tone, "Since you won't tell me what's wrong, I'll just leave you with this one powerful piece of advice: There's always a light at the end the tunnel."_

_

* * *

What?_ That memory was from three years ago! Why did it just come to the surface now? 

What did that have to do with _anything?_

Though, I must admit, I cracked a faint smile as I thought of my sister. I recalled that particular situation. I was being bullied but I didn't want to tell anyone. As usual. And my sister wanted to interf-, _help_. As usual. I let a small sigh escape through my mouth.

Just then, I heard loud footsteps approach. The door of the prison creaked open; I braced myself, as the shadow of a tall, dark figure appeared at the door.

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**Alrighty! That was the first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed ♥ **

**Ok, so, I love constructive** **criticism because, like any writer, I am looking to improve, so suggestions are welcome! Let me know about your thoughts and opinions of the story :) **

**Fanficchick**


	2. In search of Daniel Fenton

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or Linkin Park (but I do own Gwen form the last chapter).**

**Ok, so as you've probably notcied, this story is going to be alternating, back and forth, between Sam's point of view and Danny's point of view.**

**Not much else to say... so enjoy! And remember, if you have any suggestions, ideas, questions or comments, they're welcome!**

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**Sam's POV**

The texture of the photographs in my picture album was so smooth. It felt good as I ran my hand on their surface.

I let a tear roll down my cheek.

_Why hadn't he just run? Why? He could've saved himself!_

I flipped to the next page of my album. There were six photos. I noticed one of Tucker, Danny and me. We were at the Annual Chili-Burger Competition at the Nasty Burger. Tucker was stuffing three burgers in his mouth at the same time, while I watched from afar, disgustedly. Danny was sitting near me, both trying to shield himself from the dangerous flying pieces of meat that were coming from Tucker's general direction, and simultaneously trying to cheer him on. Naturally, there was a large crowd standing around us. Most of the people were encouraging Tucker but I realized that some of them were simply innocent by-standers who were only trying to get to the counter for a salad.

There were other pictures of the three of us hanging out. But the picture in the far lower right corner was the one that caught my eye.

_Hmm, I don't remember this one…_

I gently removed the plastic protector cover from the hard cardboard page and took the picture in my hands. I held it from the corners so I wouldn't smudge it.

I stare at it intently, sipping in every detail of the scene. It was an older picture, that much I could tell. Probably taken a few years ago.

It was a photo of Danny and me. We looked about eight or nine. A good five or six years ago. Danny was hanging from the primary-colored jungle bars at the park, and I was sitting on the top of them. His knuckles were white, and his face was turned towards the camera. His shirt was riding up a little bit, since it was a bit short. He had a sort of a…sly smile on his face. His blue eyes sparkled knowingly. In fact, his whole facial expression gave a sort of, "I know something you don't," vibe.

As for me, I was wearing my usual outfit from that time: a black t-shirt and purple capris. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail. I was sitting on the top of the jungle bars, cross-legged. My elbows rested on my knees, and my chin in my hands. I was watching Danny, with a small frown on my face. It was like I was trying to figure out what he was being all smug and sly about.

I felt steaming tears sting my eyes.

I stared at the picture, as if by doing so, I could bring Danny back.

But I couldn't.

_Ring! Ring!_

I reached across my bed and grabbed my vibrating cell-phone. I flipped it open.

"Hello?" I managed, trying not to sob.

"Uh…hi, Sam?" It was Tucker.

"Oh…hi…." I forced myself.

There was a short pause of silence. I didn't tell Tucker, but I was actually glad that it was he who called, and not somebody else. If I didn't talk to a friend soon, I was going to blow up.

"So…." Tucker began. But I cut him off.

"Tucker I can't stand it! This is just too much for me! I can't deal with not knowing where one of my two best friends is, not knowing whether or not he's alright! What if he's not okay? What if something happened to him? I mean, that was a really powerful gho-" I choked.

"Whoa! Sam, calm down!" Tucker exclaimed, obviously trying to be sympathetic, "Look, it's okay! Alright? Everything will be fine!" He sounded very unsure of himself, as though any one wrong word he said might send me after him with a blowtorch.

I guess he wasn't used to hearing me cry…heck, even I wasn't used to hearing myself cry.

"Fine? _Fine?? _Tucker, how dense can you get?" I practically screamed, "HE WAS CAPTURED BY A GHOST!!! How can he be alright? Haven't you read, even _seen_, the Amity News newspaper before?? They've never found ANYONE who's been captured by a ghost after the attack! NO ONE!" I tiraded. I was about to continue my rant but I was cut off.

"You don't think I care too, Sam? You think it doesn't matter to me that one of my very best friends in the world just got kidnapped by a ghost, and is for all I know, being ripped apart somewhere in an alternate ghost universe for the amusement of a ghost population? He was my friend too you know! I may not have had a crush on him LIKE YOU DID, but he was still my friend!" he blurted out, furiously.

I was so shocked by Tucker's sudden (well, not really sudden…I mean, I had it coming…) outburst, that I didn't even get mad at him for mentioning my crush on Danny.

The next few moments passed in silence.

I finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Tuck. It's just…I mean…why didn't he run? I'm sorry, but I just don't understand…" I choked softly.

"Lots of reasons," Tucker replied calmly, grimly even, "Shock, fright, surprise…"

"I'm going after him." I said firmly.

More silence.

"What?" Tucker finally replied, after registering what I had said.

"I'm going after him." I repeated, this time a little less sure of myself.

"Sam, are you crazy?! Are you absolutely out of your mind!?" Tucker demurred.

"Maybe I am, but I've gotta find him Tucker, I've got to." I said determinedly.

"Sam, I won't let you! I've already lost Danny, I'm not about to lose you too!" Tucker interjected.

"Tucker, I'm sorry, but I have to do this!" I cried.

"Fine. I'm coming with you." Tucker countered shortly.

"No! Tucker, look I'm sorry, but I have to go on my own!" I implored.

"Sam! You're crazy! You can't go looking for him, you don't even know where the guy is!" Tucker cried.

I sighed. Another silence followed. He was right after all. Where exactly was I planning on going anyways?

"Look, I need to get some air. I'm going to take a walk, alright? I'll talk to you later."

"_Sam_…" my friend said warningly.

"Don't worry, I won't go anywhere, okay? I'm only going out for some air, ok?" I managed to say.

"Fine, I'll talk to you later. Don't do anything rash, okay?"

"Relax, Tuck. I'll be fine. I won't do anything, k?" I assured him.

He didn't say anything, but I was almost certain my friend was smiling.

We exchanged our good-byes, I flipped my phone closed and threw onto the other end of the bed. I dressed in a black and purple jogging suit. The pants were a dark violet, with two black stripes on the sides of the legs. I wore an open black jacket with two violet stripes down the sides of the arms over a white T-shirt. According to the weather on the Weather Network Channel on my TV in my room it was supposed to be really chilly out tonight. They even expected rain. But I really didn't care. In fact, I decided I'd enjoy my little jog better in the rain. Maybe the rain would hide my tears from the world.

I decided to sneak out my window. My over-protective parents probably wouldn't let me out of the house (especially in the weather that was supposed to be coming) at this time of night. It wasn't _lady-like. _Sigh…

I opened the window and quietly crept out, but not before grabbing my ipod and my knapsack, in which I decided to slip in the picture of me and Danny.

Once outside, I was surprised to find that the weather was nothing like the meteorologists had predicted. Yes, it was drizzling lightly, but it was very humid and hot, not chilly at all. I decided it was too hot for my jacket. I took it off and was about to open the front door and throw it inside before leaving again, but I realized I might get caught, so I just left it hanging on my porch.

_I'll take it upstairs with me when I get back. _I thought.

I started walking down the street, going nowhere in particular. I browsed through my ipod, and finally picked a song by _Linkin Park._

_Graffiti decorations  
Under the sky of dust  
A constant wave of tension  
On top of broken trust  
The lessons that you taught me  
I learned were never true_

Man, I love this band. I wonder how I'd get through all the tough times without them…

_Now I find myself in question  
They point the finger at me again  
Guilty by association  
You point the finger at me again_

My mind turned over to thoughts of Danny.

_I wanna run away  
Never say goodbye  
I wanna know the truth  
Instead of wondering why  
I wanna know the answers  
No more lies  
I wanna shut the door  
And open up my mind_

I wish I knew what was happening to Danny. I wish I could at least be assured that he was alright..._if _he was alright, that is. I tried to force that thought out of my head. I turned at Mulberry Lane.

_Paper bags and angry voices  
Under a sky of dust  
Another wave of tension  
Has more than filled me up  
All my talk of taking action  
These words were never true_

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I wanted to go after him, find him and bring him home, tell him I…I…I love him.

_Now I find myself in question  
They point the finger at me again  
Guilty by association  
You point the finger at me again_

But Tucker was right…where would I look? I made my way across Marion Street.

_I wanna run away  
Never say go-_

Just then, my earphones were ripped off of me. A hand was clapped on to my mouth. I screamed, but even in the silence of the night, only muffled sounds could be heard. I felt another hand slap itself onto my torso, and drag me into a near alley.

"I've caught another one." I heard a deep, raspy voice say.

"LET ME GO!" I screamed, struggling to free myself of the stranger's tight grasp.

And suddenly…my world faded to black.

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**Alright, that was the second chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it :)**

**Thanks to technogrl15, lokkish and Din Kelion for reviewing and putting this story on their alerts, and to The dark and Evil PHANTOM and Permanent Chaos for also putting it on alerts. Thank you guys, it's much appreciated!**

**Remember, all comments are welcome, so let me know what you guys think. I'd really like to know your feedback regarding this story in particular, because I am so excited about it :)**


	3. Yes, Vlad

**Hey everyone! I'm back! Thanks for the reveiws and stuff, I'm glad to know you enjoy this!**

**I really like to know your opinions and all that jazz, so let me know what you guys think, and what I can do better and change, because it helps me improve as a writer!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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**Danny's POV**

The body edged closer. It was so menacing, that even being in it's shadow intimidated me. I felt like I was being closed in on, like I couldn't breathe.

Have I mentioned I'm claustrophobic?

"Ah…Prisoner X37, I presume," the figure spoke in a calm, yet ominous voice.

The form entered the room completely, leaving the door behind him wide open. His tall shadow reflected on the ground. I finally caught a glimpse of the actual person…

Well…ok, the actual ghost…

Yes. It was a ghost that was hovering in front of me, not a human. His body however was that of a human's. He had a large, muscular chest, and jet black hair that stood up a the ends. His red eyes glowed intensely as they contrasted with his dim blue-green skin. He wore a purplish-grayish outfit. His cape, a deep scarlet from the inside, was draped around his shoulders.

He moved in closer to me. I gulped.

"Get up," he said roughly.

"So, you're from Amity Park, huh?" he said, consulting a paper in his hands.

"Um, yes, sir," I replied gingerly.

"Hmmm…I see…" the ghost smiled, his tone changing considerably, as a cheery voice that suggested that he and I were old college roommates that were catching up on old times replaced his prior bone-chilling tone of voice, "And do you, by any chance happen to know a certain…Jack Fenton?"

"Yeah, actually…he's my dad!" I jumped excitedly.

_Maybe dad and this guy have some history! Maybe he'll let me out of here! I mean, it seems weird, a ghost and a ghost-hunter being friends…but then why else would he have gotten so much happier when he mentioned Dad?_

"Do you know him? You two are probably great friends, right?" I asked hopefully.

"Well, actually…" the ghost started out sweetly, but then roared: "NO!"

I shook a bit, struggling to keep myself standing in front of the enraged ghost.

"Jack Fenton," he muttered, "The man who ruined my life! The man who turned me into this freak! The man who stole and married the love of my life!"

_The love of his life? Does he mean…Mom?!?_

Then as if the ghost could read my mind, he whispered longingly, "Ah, Maddie, how I miss you so…"

There was an awkward moment of silence, or at least it was awkward for me, as the ghost stared out into space remorsefully.

Wow… Can you say too much information? 

Then, a few moments later, I worked up the courage to speak.

"So… does this mean you're letting me go? Because you love my mom and all, and because you would never want to harm her by hurting her child?" I stammered hopefully.

A wicked smile cracked on the ghost's lips.

Oh, that can't be good… 

"Oh, far from it my boy. Far from it," he sneered, "In fact…I think you and I are going to have a lot of…_fun_ together." The smile on his face spread into an irrepressible grin.

I felt my insides churn. I felt my hands tremble as my breathing accelerated.

"But don't worry, you will get some _special_ treatment."

The ghost snapped his fingers and another ghost quickly appeared at his side. This new ghost was tall and wore a long gray cloak. His face was covered by the shadow of the hood.

"Ralph, get the shackles," he ordered briskly.

The ghost vanished in a wisp, and then quickly returned. He was holding a fetter, which was chained to a bowling ball. Ralph handed it to the first ghost, and then disappeared once more.

The ghost pulled a device, some sort of controller, from underneath his cloak. It was small and shaped like a prism, and had an antenna attached to it's top. There were many buttons on it, each a different color.

"Do you know what this is?" the ghost asked me. I struggled to shake my head.

The ghost smiled. He snapped his fingers and suddenly, as if by magic, the ball and chain flew over to me, the shackle opened, as if about to bite someone, and then placed itself around my left ankle. It snapped shut, as the bowling ball simultaneously thudded onto the floor.

I recoiled slightly as the shackle attached itself to me. I quivered in fear. I looked up at the ghost, who wore a cruel sinister smile on his face.

"This, my boy, is the _fun_," he said, looking at the device in his hands, "With the press of a button, I can use this device to shock you, and suck the energy right out of you," he snickered.

I felt my heart beat faster.

"So if I'd be careful if I were you…"

_Gulp._

At that very moment, a girl, no older than sixteen or seventeen, walked into the room.

"Excuse me Vlad, but I heard that there was a new boy here? You'll want me to show him the ropes, I imagine?"

Her voice was soft and sweet. She had short brown waves that fell onto her face.

There were dark circles under her eyes, that made her look as if she had not slept in weeks. Her cheeks were pale and her clothes were dirty and torn, yet she still managed a smile in my general direction.

"No, not this one Kia, not this time. This one is…_different_. I have _special_ tasks for him," he said slowly, as if still deciding what to say.

"You mean he won't work with the others?" she inquired.

"Oh, no… definitely not."

The woman frowned in puzzlement, but simply satisfied herself with a nod of her head and then exited the room, waving at me.

Then the ghost turned to me again.

"You know, it is so very fortuitous that you should be here, my boy. I do hope we'll get along…if you know what I mean…"

Another gulp.

"Yes sir."

Suddenly, a blast of ruby-colored ectoplasm emanated from the ghost's open palm. I tried to dodge it by throwing myself to the side, but was restrained from doing so because of the heavy ball that was now attached to his ankle. This resulted in the beam hitting me square in the chest.

"You do not call me sir. You call me Vlad!" he bellowed.

I did nothing but let his head hang as I felt the pain from the beam set my every single muscle on fire.

"Well, I'd always hoped to do that to Jack Fenton…but taking my rage on his offspring is the next best thing!" he lilted, before exiting the room, leaving me, unconscious, all by myself.

* * *

"Slave Boy! Over here!" Vlad snapped. 

I struggled to move as I pulled the unbearable weight of the ball on my ankle. I tried to move as fast as possible; I didn't want to make Vlad angry. I knew what happened when I made him angry. But then again, I didn't want to break my foot either.

"Yes Vlad?" I asked weakly.

"Go fetch me some coffee," he commanded, a hint of haughtiness in his tone.

"Yes Vlad," I replied.

Danny trudged to the kitchen of the large mansion in Wisconsin, (I was no longer in the Ghostzone, but in the real world, as Vlad had told me earlier.)

"Ah, it truly was a brilliant idea to make you my Personal Slave Boy, now wasn't it?"

I grunted in response.

"Ah, ah, ah, I don't know if I would use that tone of voice with me if I were you," the ghost insinuated, reaching the small remote that was used to shock me through my shackle.

I immediately changed my tone.

"I mean, uh, yes…yes si-, Vlad, it was brilliant, it was a brilliant idea," I stammered warily.

"I thought so," he said, satisfied. He snickered slightly at my palpable fear.

I returned from the kitchen, holding a steaming mug of coffee in my hands.

"Now let's see if you're really worth keeping in here or if I should send you out with the other Slaves," the Vlad said, eager to take the coffee from me, "Hopefully you'll be good for something, unlike your pathetic bumbling idiot father. He couldn't do anything right!"

I could feel my anger boiling inside. Sure I may've been afraid of this guy, but no one spoke like that about Dad if I could help it! I felt myself almost…glow with anger. I went red with fury, The next thing I knew, shards of glass from the mug were littering the floor, swimming in a pool of coffee.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU FOOL! YOU'VE RUINED MY PRICELESS BELGIAN CARPET AND MUG! GET OUT, OUT, OUT!" he thundered.

* * *

I collapsed in the corner of my new "room". I'd been moved out of the old one so I could be closer to the Vlad, in case he ever needed my services during the night. 

I didn't like my new room. It was much more spacious than the other, though that was probably to compensate for the fact that it contained nothing else a room should.

In fact, it wasn't a room at all. It was more like chamber in a dungeon, a cell in a prison. It wasn't located in the servant's headquarters…in fact, I had no idea where it was located, but I did know I had to pass by the other slaves' headquarters to get there. Everytime I did, they would snicker at me or make 'boo' noises. Some would actually call me 'Vlad's pet' because I was the only one excused from doing regular work and because I was allowed in Vlad's home.

It stroke me as unbelievable. These people thought they had it bad? They thought _I _got better, special treatment from Vlad? I had it worse than they did…_much worse_; _they_ didn't know the whole story.

Many of them thought that Vlad had told me to wear the ball and chain to make it _look_ like he didn't prefer me to the rest. Many thought I didn't have to work as hard. Little did they know that not only did I have to work more than three times harder than them, but that I also received daily torture. Physically and verbally. _They_ didn't have to wear a ball and chain. They were free to roam as they pleased. _They_ didn't get zapped for the tiniest mistakes. They weren't the ones who were constantly provoked to anger, and then beaten when they displayed the slightest sign of the emotion.

It was dark and dreary inside my cell. Humidity hung limply in the air. The floor was always cold, as though it were made of metal. The gray walls followed the same tradition. They sounded almost hollow when knocked on. There was no bed in the room, or anything else for that matter. In fact, the room only contained two things: an old mattress that had a spring that protruded straight from the center and a single bathroom stall. Oh, and of course, the spider webs in every corner. But that was it; nothing else. Not even a blanket to warm and shield my maltreated body from the cold.

My thoughts wandered to a far off place, where I eventually found myself thinking about the incident that had taken place earlier.

_What happened then? I mean, I remember getting angry because of the way he was talking about Dad, and then, suddenly, the cup fell to the floor… I didn't drop it… I'm positive of that. I kept my hands held tightly around the mug. But then, how did it suddenly fall?_

I was in state of trepidation over what Vlad was going to do to me. He was furious about what I had done. He'd been so mad that he'd forgotten to punish me. But it was an accident!

It didn't matter.

With Vlad, there were no accidents.

I tried to blink back tears.

No. This was too much. I couldn't live like this. I'd already been in this place for four days, and he was already breaking down.

I had to find a way to escape. I had to think up some sort of plan…

_Grumble…_

I clutched my stomach tightly.

"Oww," I moaned.

I hadn't eaten in the past 3 days. The first day, someone had brought me food through a small slot in the door. Well, not really _food._ It was actually only a meager helping of stale porridge and a glass of water.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I just wanted to sleep. Sleep and wake up to find that this was all a dream.

I'd planned on flipping the mattress over to the other side so that the spring in the center wouldn't bother me. But I was too weary, too tired, too weak. So I simply contented myself with the cold metal floor. Almost the moment that I'd lay down on the ground, my eyes closed and I fell straight asleep, despite the chills that entered my body through the floor.

* * *

**There we go! That's chapter 3! Hope you enjoyed!**

**Thanks to:**

**technogrl15, TrashBinSouvenir and broken0dream!**

**So, again, let me know what you guys think about how the story's going. I'd love to know ♥**

**PS I'm listening to the Potential Break Up Song right now; _sooo_ good! lol yes, random i know lol**


	4. The Not So Great Escape

**Hey all! I've decided to reply to reviews on here, cuz it's easier for me, so:**

**Din Kelion: I'm real happy you liked that scene! lol So did I! I hope this keeps you dancing lol**

**Kalaia: Thanks, i'm glad you enjoyed! This chapter should clear it up, but be prepared for anything! lol**

**broken0dream: Thank you! As for Sam...you'll see! Unfortunately, not yet,but very vey soon! lol**

**Thanks to these three for reviewing, much appreciated!**

**Btw, I changed the title, as you may have notice. I decided this one is better, but I'd like your opinions, cuz I'm not so sure. Also, if you have any suggestions for titles that fit better, throw 'em at me! Thanks and Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Danny's POV**

"Slave! Come here at once!"

"Yes Vlad?" I asked tentatively, trudging to the breakfast table.

"What is this?" Vlad demanded with revulsion, pointing to his omelet.

"Um, cheese?" I responded, confused.

"I don't want cheese on my omelet!" he snapped.

"Um, sorry Vlad, but you said you wanted cheese," I replied meekly.

Vlad glared at me. He slowly drew his hand near his pocket. I knew what he was looking for. I felt my hands shake as I mumbled a hurried apology, and took the plate way hastily.

"I'll make you another one Vlad," I muttered quickly.

"I thought you would," he smiled cruelly, watching me plod under the weight of the bowling ball attached to his ankle.

I struggled to make my way to the kitchen, heaving the ball along with me.

I took out another pan and two eggs, secretly thankful that Vlad had asked for an omelet for breakfast. It was really the only thing I knew how to cook.

I set my elbows on the counter and began to daydream as I waited for the egg to cook. I dreamed of being free, of going home. Of having my old room and bed. Of seeing Jazz, Mom and Dad. Of hanging out with Tucker and Sam…

I sighed.

_I have to escape. I have to go back home._

I almost didn't recognize the voice in his head, though I knew very well it was my own. I must've been crazy to think up such a thing. Escaping from Vlad? It was insanity, and yet, it was brilliance. Sure, I he got caught, it would be a grave situation, but I wouldn't get caught. I couldn't.

But I needed a plan. I'd obviously need to get out of the house. Vlad somehow kept the doors and windows locked from the inside and outside. No one could open those, not from the inside or the out. Unless they had the ke-

Wait a minute! I know where the key is! It's behind his grandfather's portrait in the living room. I saw him putting it there after he had gone outside to get the newspaper yesterday!

I almost jumped with excitement, but a heavy weight held me back.

I could almost _feel _my soaring spirit plummet.

The ball…it was holding me back. I couldn't make a clean escape with that thing attached to me. It made too much noise, and I wouldn't be able to get away quickly enough if I got caught.

That's all I need. I just need to get rid of the ball…that's all that is holding me back…but how?

A loud voice emanated from the adjacent room.

"Are you quite finished?"

"Sorry Vlad!" I called. I flipped the omelet over into a plate as I quickly made my way to the dinner table.

"It's about time!" Vlad huffed.

"I'm sorry Vlad," I said, not really caring. I was busy thinking about my plan.

"I know you're new here, but that doesn't mean you get special treatment!"

I felt a large blow on the back of my neck. I fell to the ground, dropping the eggs on the floor.

A cruel smile uncurled on Vlad's face.

"Oops," he said in a high fake voice, "I guess you'll have to make it again! Call me when it's ready," he finished nastily.

Vlad pushed back his chair and got up to leave. On his way out, he dropped a sheet of paper and let it flutter down beside my unconscious body.

* * *

I sat on the edge of the mattress. I still hadn't flipped it over. It had been one week and a half since Vlad had knocked me unconscious. 

I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get out of this place, if I would ever be free.

In my hands, I held a sheet of paper similar to the one Vlad had left next to me after having knocked me unconscious.

It was a sort of itinerary. Each two pages were consecrated to one day of the week; that made fourteen pages in total. There was a schedule for me each day. Each week, I was given a new "itinerary."

_The schedule of my life._ I thought bitterly.

It was the schedule that told me when I slept, what I did, when I was given food etc. And of course, since it was Vlad who wrote it, you can just tell it was pure cruelty (in the form of an itinerary).

I stared at the schedule for Thursday, but my vision blurred. I couldn't even see the words before me any more.

It was cruel.

Vlad was cruel.

I only got three hours of sleep per day. I was allowed to sleep at 1:00 am, and was forced to wake up at 4:00 am sharp every morning.

One morning last week, I'd accidentally woken up at 4:04 am, and had received a giant shock and beating from Vlad. Of course, Vlad had not been awake at the time, but he had installed a monitoring device in every room. They were like video cameras that taped every thing I did. He'd watch them later, when he awoke, and punish me if he deemed necessary.

The chores in themselves were not necessarily cruel. It was the way I was being treated. I was only given a slice of toast and a small styrofoam cup of water every day. I was only allowed to sleep three hours a day. I was forced to do the most useless tasks at unbelievable hours of the morning or night. I was punished for the slightest mistakes. And not to mention the way Vlad taunted me.

It seemed as though Vlad organized the chores in such a way that he was deliberately trying to harm me.

Duh...

I felt soft sobs escape my mouth.

This wasn't me.

The old Danny wouldn't do this. The old Danny wouldn't cry. He would try to find a way out.

But this wasn't the old Danny. The old Danny was hidden somewhere beneath this new, afraid Danny. Behind the scars and abuse of the new Danny.

Where was the old Danny?

Gone.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and struggled to open them again. The last time I'd slept was…well, I honestly didn't know.

_That's it. I can't take this anymore. I have to escape. I have to! I have to! I have to!_ my mind screamed._ I have to get back home! To Sam, Tucker, and Jazz! To Mom and Dad!_

I felt hot tears sting my ice-cold cheeks. At first, they came slowly, but soon enough they flowed freely, and I was crying desperately.

"I need to get out! I NEED TO!" I screamed, and fell off the mattress. I stopped suddenly, shocked.

_What the?_ Oh… that weird disappearing thing is happening again.

When I had screamed, my ankle had phased through the shackle, and I had accidentally fallen off the bed.

Wait a minute…

**THAT'S IT!!**

That phasing thing…the disappearing thing, it always happens whenever I'm feeling mad! I mean, it just happened right now, and now I was mad! And it also happened when I dropped the mug earlier! I was mad because Vlad was insulting Dad!

An indescribable ecstasy flowed through me.

THAT'S IT!! All I have to do is think of something that makes me mad and then I can phase through stuff! So if I can phase through these shackles…I can phase through anything! Now all I have to do is get to the first floor of the mansion tonight, and then phase through the walls and run away! It's perfect! I don't even need the key!

Finally, the night came. Vlad was sleeping in his room.

_Perfect._ I thought slyly, as I slipped on my shoes.

I made my way to the door of my cell, and stopped before the steel bars.

_Ok, come on Danny, think of something that makes you mad…really mad…_

I remembered one of the times Dash was bullying me in grade six. Dash had had me held up by my ankles, upside down, while Kwan emptied my pocket of my lunch money.

I felt my face turn red. My ears were steaming.

Then, almost like a ghost, I turned invisible and walked right through the bars.

I smiled.

"Like taking candy from a baby…"

I continued down the long hallway, phasing and turning invisible whenever necessary.

I was near the front door when I saw something staring out at me from the darkness of the wall.

Two eyes were watching me. I stopped dead in my tracks.

I phased, just in case. But upon looking back at the two eyes, I realized it was just a picture hung on the world. I sighed in relief.

I continued to the front door, and phased through it.

I let the night air penetrate through my lungs. I exhaled, almost in relief. But after walking a few feet further, I felt myself being pushed back by an invisible barrier.

"What the…?" I muttered softly.

"Well, well. If it isn't our little trouble-maker…" I heard the all-too familiar voice echo behind me.

I turned to see Vlad floating above me.

"Trying to run away, are we?" his mouth curled into a twisted, evil smile.

"How did you know…?" I whispered under my breath.

"Oh, come now! How dense do you think I am, boy? I know you slaves will try to escape. That's why I put this invisible shield around my mansion. Only I, and the people I wish to, can enter and exit. And trust me boy, I do not wish for you to leave."

I almost whimpered, but then caught myself and straightened my posture.

"Well, you're up for a big surprise, Vlad," I spat, the last word dripping with poisonous disdain.

"Oh my, it looks as though Mr. Apprehensive's found his strength." Vlad laughed mockingly.

I felt myself simmer with anger. I instantly turned invisible, and set off running.

**BAM!**

I fell to the ground with a loud thump.

What…? I don't get it! How is it I can't phase through??

Vlad gasped.

"How did you do that?" he asked sharply.

I merely grunted.

"I SAID HOW DID YOU DO THAT!!" the ghost thundered vehemently. He pulled out the small remote to shock me, when he suddenly realized, I wasn't wearing the chain and ball.

_Oh crud…_

Vlad was now seething.

The sight of this actually scared me. Not the kind of 'scared' I'd felt with the remote and ball and chain. Oh no. A fear much worse. A whole new level of fear. Possibly on a new scale of fear.

"I don't know…I don't know, I'm sorry," I whimpered helplessly.

"Oh, you don't know, now? Ooh, you have crossed the line, boy. You'd better watch it boy, because now you are really going to get it bad," he fumed, his voice much lower now, but his level of intensity and rage still very high.

And then, just like that, I blacked out.

* * *

Awhile later, I awoke. I felt my limp body ache with pain. My head was throbbing. My muscles were on fire. 

"Where am I…" I asked blearily, to no one in particular.

I tried to get up, but was held back.

I raised my head as far as I could, to see that I was restrained, my hands and feet cuff-linked to the table I was lying on.

"Ahh, finally awake, I see?" the familiar and dreaded voice drawled. "I hope you're comfortable?"

"No…" I groaned.

"Good," Vlad said sharply.

"What are you doing?" I grunted.

"Well, you really are a curious one… This is your punishment."

"Punishment? For what?" I asked, dazed.

"Oh yes. Your punishment for never having told me you were a ghost! Your punishment for trying to escape! Your punishment because I just don't like you," he finished with a flourish.

I groaned.

Ghost? What is this fruit loop talking about? How can I be a ghost when I'm still alive?

"What exactly do you plan on doing to me?" I spoke softly.

"Oh, you'll see…" An evil grin uncurled in the ghost's face. "You'll see…"

* * *

**Alright everyone! There's chapter 4. Let me know what you think.**

**Also, i'd like your opinions in regards of whether the story is progressing too quickly or too slowly (or at a good pace). Thanks, and see you at the next update!**

**PS I won't be here for the weekend, (I'll be back on Monday), so I won;t be seeing your reviews or updating until I get back. Just thought I'd tell you, just so you guys know!**

**Love y'all!**


	5. Sam and Danny

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**Sorry it took awhile to update...**

**FaLIEn-AnGeL627: ****Hm, good point lol Thanks, I'll try to! Enjoy! **

**naitodorn: Thanks! Enjoy this chapter!**

**dessyweird51: Oh,you found that funny? I thought it was sort of saddish... lol oh well, **

**to each his own, ****I suppose lol Let me know what you think of this one then! Enjoy :)**

**broken0****dream: Thanks for the feedback and suggestion! I'm making myself a little**

**list of titles, and yours is on it! lol ****I'll decide on one soon. Thanks and Enjoy!**

**And to all you other readers out there, same goes, enjoy!**

* * *

**Sam's POV**

The smell of rotten fruit filled the air.

I'd been sitting in this room for a few hours, by my watch. I'd learned very much in those past few hours, though. For instance, I'd learned that I'd been captured by the same ghost that had captured Danny. When I first learned this, I was excited, thinking that maybe, I might see him again; I might find him. But I soon realized that was unlikely.

After being 'captured', I was taken to a room, called the Storage Room, and then I was so very reluctantly 'sold' to some ghost called Vladimir. And now I'm being told that I'm his 'slave'.

_Pshh, yeah right! I'm nobody's slave, no matter how scary or ghostly they are!_

However, I can't help wonder if Danny suffered the same fate as I did. Actually, I hoped he did, because in my mind, I was certain he had suffered something worse. And I'd rather know that he is alive and alright, rather than…

_Creak…_

A tall figure entered the room.

"Good morning, Prisoner F88, if I'm not mistaken?"

I glowered at the man. It was that Vlad guy again.

"Who exactly _are_ you?" I demanded.

"Hmm, seems like we have another troublemaker on our hands," he smirked, though I didn't know why.

"I said _who are you_?" I insisted venomously.

"Hmm, this one isn't going to go with the other Slaves… no, no…I think she'd be much better suited at the House. After all, I could use another personal assistant…."

I almost shuddered, but I caught myself.

"I'm not going _anywhere_ with you, you monster!" I shouted fiercely.

"Oh but you are…" the ghost drawled out.

Suddenly, pink mist filled the room, and I blacked out.

* * *

"Come now, don't be afraid," Vlad coaxed, in a disgustingly sweet way. It's almost as though he was mocking me. 

He placed his cold ghostly hand on my back and carefully guided me through a long dark hallway. It was actually more like a tunnel, but whatever. I tried to shake his hand off, but he held strong.

It was an eerie tunnel. In it lingered a foul smell. The damp and humid air hung limply, drifting lazily into the cells aligning the walls. Each cell was about the size of my bedroom (which is very large and spacious). Some of the cells were closed with a bulky heavy metal door, which contained a small barred window at a height just taller than the average man. Next to each of these cells, was a small square of metal, at about the same height as the window. Each of these metal signs was engraved with one, two, and sometimes three, numbers. They were numbers that were similar to the one this Vlad guy had called me earlier (F88). The other cells were just closed off with the metal bars you'd see in jails in old police movies.

I shuddered slightly.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't have minded such a thing. I think it fits in very well with my goth personality, and is actually kind of cool. In fact, I would have liked these cells better than my room back home. But just the fact that these rooms were used as prison cells for innocent people, who were forced to work for no wages…well…it disgusted me.

"Where exactly are you taking me anyways?" I demanded coldly.

"To your new room, of course!" the ghost smiled, sardonically. His face held a simultaneously devious and pensive expression, as though he was both thinking of what to do with me and how much he would enjoy watching me suffer.

I shuddered again.

We walked a few more minutes, in silence. At some point, the ghost let go of me, as he started to fiddle with a key ring, (holding at least a dozen keys), that was attached to his belt clip.

He finally found the one he was looking for, and slipped it out of the ring, daintily. It was a large, heavy metal key, bigger than most. I would have thought it were made of real silver or brass had it not been a dull colour of grey.

We then stopped at one of the large, bulky-doored cells, which, at window's height, held a small green paper with the word X37 written on it, in blue ink.

"We haven't had time to make the metal engravement for this prisoner yet," the ghost snickered.

The door creaked open, upon having the lock entered into the keyhole. I felt myself being thrust into a large, spacious room by a pair of cold, clammy hands.

"This is your new room," the ghost announced.

I took in my new surroundings. Large, metal and hollow looking walls fenced in the big room. An old mattress sat in one corner of the room. It had many springs and coils popping right out if it, from every side. It looked like it was from the world's cheapest garage sale ever. Next to it, on the floor, was a large alarm clock. The annoying kind that buzzes you awake, instead of ringing. There was also a bathroom stall in the other corner. Other than that however, the room was completely empty.

I kind of liked this room. It was definitely goth and eerie enough to be my bedroom. The only problem? Well…no furniture… or anything else a room should have, for that matter.

"You, boy! This girl will be joining your ranks. Show her the ropes." The ghost's voice echoed sharply behind me.

I turned around to see who he was talking to, but the ghost had already left, leaving the door shut tightly behind him. A shadow of moonlight poured into the room from a small, tiny window at the upper left corner of the wall across from the door.

_Who was he talking to?_

As I let my eyes drop and observe what the moon's light was shining on, I found the answer to my question.

A boy, (or so I gathered from the ghost's earlier comment), was curled up into a small ball, like a cat, facing the window from which came the moonlight. The light fell on him and draped his thin limp frame with its silvery color.

"I'm not going to have _any _boy tell me what to do, or try and think they need to _show me the ropes_. I'm perfectly capable of doing everything by myself," I said haughtily, my nose in the air. I then realized how much I must have looked like Paulina...or perhaps even my mom, and quickly regained my regular posture. I still meant what I'd said though.

But it didn't really matter that I'd said anything. The boy didn't answer.

It was dark, so I couldn't see very well, but I could tell he was shaking slightly. His arms were wrapped tightly around his knees, and his head was hanging in the space between his torso and thighs. He was lying down on his side, causing him to appear in the fetal position.

I felt a little pity for him, especially since he didn't answer me.

He looked like a little traumatized kid who wanted his mommy. All he did was tremble and shake.

My pity overcame me, and I thought I'd at least go see if he was okay. After all, what if this Masters guy had done something to hurt him? I didn't necessarily know that he was a bad guy, working with Vlad to enslave helpless people. It was just a presumption, right? Maybe the boy was a good guy, right?

I didn't sound too convincing to myself, but I went along with my protective instincts.

I tentatively walked over to his side. I went on my knees behind him, his back facing me.

I tapped his shoulder gently, so as not to scare him. But he did nothing but quiver and shake. His breathing was fast and abnormal. It reminded me a bit of Danny.

When we were little, we would play tag (with Tuck, of course), but he would always have to stop in the middle because of his breathing problems. Asthma attacks, and other such things.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked the trembling boy softly, while gently stroking his thick black hair.

The hair, it also reminded me of Danny. I held back the tears that were dying to cascade out of me.

I noticed some chains that were draping over his slim build. When I looked closer, I realized that he had cuffs closing on his ankles, wrists, and a larger one around his neck. From the latter, descended a large chain of links, making its way along the middle of his body. It reached his ankles, where it separated into two different chains, each one attached to one of his ankle cuffs. The same thing happened with his wrist cuffs. The large links were heavy and old. They were reddened with rust.

It was obvious that this boy wasn't evil. He was hurt. Locked up in this prison of a room. My despite for Vlad only grew. How could he do this to the boy?

It had become dark, and the moonlight faded away; I couldn't see a thing. I wanted to see the boy's face, to know whom I was talking to.

"Are you okay?" I repeated, stupidly. Of course he wasn't okay! Look at him! He was chained up in this prison of a room, and trembling. I gently laid my hand on his arm, to see if he was shaking because he was cold. I quickly withdrew my hand, as chills tingled my spine. He was freezing!

I immediately regretted having taken off my jacket earlier, before my run. I could've given it to him.

I wish I could get him to say something to me. Something to let me know he's alright… 

It was against my nature to be so motherly toward someone I'd just met, but I felt this was a different situation.

I felt strange…waves coming from this boy. I felt as if I'd known him from somewhere before. But I resisted the urge to turn him around and look to see if I knew him. I might scare him.

"Vlad…"

I was startled out of my thoughts.

"Sorry?"

"Vlad…" repeated the boy. His voice was weak and barely audible.

The boy quaked and trembled. He sounded scared…no, terrified.

"Don't worry, he's not here. Vlad isn't here," I said gently, in what I hoped was a soothing voice. I noticed the boy had jerked a bit at the mention of the name.

"Gone?" he asked softly.

_What did this Masters guy __**do**__ to this boy??_ _He sounded as though he'd just seen a statue come to life and bite someone's head off. _

"Yes, gone," I replied quietly.

I don't recognize the boy's voice, yet, all at once, it's so familiar to me.

Suddenly, the moon's light shone through the window in the room once again adorning us with its light. I tenderly moved the boy's hair, so I could his face clearly.

I gasped.

I clapped my hands over my mouth, inhaling and exhaling deeply, and slowly. My eyes were opened abnormally wide, staring at the tired, bloodshot eyes of the boy's. I felt my heart beat quickly.

"No, no. It can't be…it can't be…it's just not…" I whispered.

"_Danny_?" I swallowed, uncertainly.

"Whhoo are you?" he struggled with the words, the way a person struggles to speak when they're learning a new language and don't know how to say something that they desperately need to communicate.

I flung my arms around him, crying softly.

My face was buried into his chest; my tears-now-turned sobs were soaking his shirt.

"I can't believe it…you're really alive! You're okay! I was so sure…" I trailed off, letting myself get lost in my tears of both happiness, and grief.

"Saammm?" Danny asked blearily. He sounded as though he'd just realized I was there; as though it was barely registering in his mind.

I was in pure bliss over finding the friend I thought was far and long gone, the love I thought was lost. But I was in pure agony over the thought of Danny's anguish and suffering.

"Danny, I thought the ghosts had kil…"

"Saammm, is, is he- he, _he_ gone?" Danny stuttered painfully. It was even painful for me. He spoke the word _he_ with great difficulty.

I realized he was talking about that Vladimir guy.

"Yes, he's gone. Don't worry, Danny, he's gone. I won't let him hurt you anymore," I sobbed into my friend's arm.

"Leave," Danny managed to spit out.

"What?" I gasped, taken aback.

Danny lifted his head till as far as he could (those cruel shackles were preventing him from going past a certain point), and spoke in a clear voice.

"Before he gets you too. **Leave**. Beefore he t-take- takes you too." He had started out in a relatively strong voice, (strong for his condition anyway), and then finished so weakly, letting his head fall onto my lap, and allowing his eyes to close gently.

"No! I won't go Danny! I won't leave you like this!" I bawled. He couldn't hear me anymore. He probably passed out.

_What has Vlad done to you? What has he done?_ I thought to myself. This wasn't the boy I'd once known. And it killed me to see him like this, torn apart.

"I'll never leave you…"

* * *

**So now you know what happened to Sam! lol Let me know your thoughts and opnions!**


	6. Bonding and Seperation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**I feel sorry for what I'm doing to Danny ****:( Oh**** well, its my own fault lol**

**dessyweird51:** **Lol, oh, I understand lol Sugar does that :) Ok, enjoy this one, and let me know your thoughts lol!**

**Illustriously Unsound: Hmm, do you mean if I kept _this _pace consistent, as in the one I'm using now? Sorry, lol, I just didn't get what you meant. lol Cuz you wrote it was too slow, but then you said to keep _this _pace consistent...lol I'm all confuzzled, can you clarify? lol But thanks for reading and giving a suggestion, it means a lot! I'm glad there's room for improvement:)**

**Tie-dyed Trickster: Lol Aww,thanks sooo much!! I'm really glad you like it, here's the next one!**

**broken0dream**:** Ya, he is terrified to death! Vlad's a really not nice guy! I didn't say what he did to him yet, but I will probably in the next few chapters, at some point. Anyways, I'm glad you could tell he was that scared, I wasn't too sure of that scene lol Once again, thanks for reviewing and enjoy!**

**blah blah blah: Oh, I think I know what hppened. Because, I started this story as a narration, ****in third person, but then ****I decided to change it to first person, from either Sam or Danny's POV. ****So I had to completely go over the chapters I'd written and edit them to ****make them in first ****person. So I may've forgotten to change a 'he' or 'she' to an 'I' here or there. lol Thanks though, ****I'll look over it and see what I forgot ****to change, and fix it. Thanks!**

**Ok, everyone enjoy!**

* * *

**Sam's POV**

* * *

"_STOP!! STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING HIM! STOP!" I screamed, louder than ever before in my life. My voice cracked, but I didn't care. _

"_I'm sorry! I'm sorry Vlad! I didn't mean to!" Danny's now-turned meek voice cracked. _

_Crack!_

"_STOP!!" I shrieked. That monster of a ghost, Vlad, was holding a brown whip in one hand, and using it to lash Danny, on his bare back. _

"_You're torturing him! He's getting weaker and weaker everyday! Don't you care? How heartless are you?" I screeched._

_Crack!_

_The whip snapped on Danny's bare back. _

_"You're only making it worse for him, child. But that's okay, I'm enjoying it, keep up the good work," Vlad smiled wickedly._

_Crack!_

_I looked over at Danny. He was hurt, that much I could tell, but, he wasn't screaming in pain as one suffering his torment would be expected to. _

* * *

This was a sort of recurring scenario for the past week or so, almost daily. Poor Danny. He would occasionally flinch or wince, but only for a moment. That was it. But even so, I could tell he was in tremendous pain. It absolutely killed me that I couldn't do anything to save him. 

"Mmm…" I heard a tired groan come from beside me.

I looked down to see Danny curled up like a cat and sleeping beside me. His head was laying on my lap. Ever since two days ago, Danny had forgotten me. I don't mean 'forgotten' as in the way he's barely remembered me when I'd first come to this place. No, I mean_, real_ forgotten. He didn't even know my name. He didn't recognize me at all. It's too bad too… now I have to _re_build a confident relationship with him, so he'll trust me. I have a feeling that's the only way he will let me help him…if I can help him, that is. I bet Vlad gave him some sort of concoction to make him forget me. I wouldn't put it past him. But why? Who would be so cruel as to actually take away the one person left in a tormented boy's life? The one person they truly knew, and trusted? Was that why? Was it just torture for Danny?

I felt Danny squirm and wriggle in restlessness.

He must be waking up… 

I heard a stifled yawn.

"Are you awake yet?" I asked gently.

He nodded innocently. He had become like a child. Innocent. Unsure of the world around him. He seemed like a little toddler living amongst a world of adults. He barely spoke (and when he did, it wasn't fluent the way a fourteen year old's speech should be), he was very shy, and he always did what Vlad told him to. His big blue eyes would look into my own eyes, so naively, so sweetly. If it weren't for his size, I'd have thought him to be a little boy, no more than five years old. Maybe it was that concoction Vlad had given him that had made him this way (assuming he had actually given him one…though I'm sure he must've done _something_ to him).

I checked my watch. It was 3:00 am. Danny was supposed to get back to work in an hour. As for me? Well, honestly, I didn't do much. I just made the ghost's food (reluctantly). It made me feel awful that it was all I did, while Danny toiled away. I was just called when I needed, and later, banished back to this cell. Whenever Danny was awake, he looked as though he was about to collapse.

"Do you want some food?" I coaxed.

He looked at me hesitantly, cautiously, as though eating were something illegal.

Poor guy. That Vlad guy barely gave him food. Danny thought he wasn't allowed to eat. And according to Vlad, he wasn't. But as long as I'm around, he _is going to eat something._

"Look," I tried to persuade him, though somewhat sympathetically, "I brought you some leftover chicken breast and pasta."

It wasn't really leftover (I'd feel bad giving him that). I always made extra of whatever food I was making for Vlad. I'd put it in a box and hide it in my knapsack, and then pass it on to Danny. He needed nutrition, after all, and it would kill me if I just ate, and left Danny without food.

I was allowed food. Apparently, according to Vlad, I was a _growing flower_ who needed her _proper sustenance_.

Yuck. What a sicko.

Danny gingerly outstretched his arm, the way a baby reaches out for their mother. I smiled affectionately. I brought the food closer to Danny. He held the box in one hand, and his cutlery in the other.

He looked up at me, innocently and tentatively, from the corner of his eyes. It was as if he were asking if he were allowed to touch the food.

"You can eat it," I nodded my head coaxingly, "It's all for you!"

He stared at it awhile longer. Finally, he lowered his fork and knife down to the box of food, and attempted to cut the piece of chicken. I saw he was struggling, so I gently took away the box, while explaining that I would cut it for him, and then give it back.

I quickly cut the chicken into small pieces, and mixed it in with the pasta. I gave him back the box and watched as he timidly took a spoonful from the food. The more bites he took, the more confident he became, and he eventually started gulfing down the food, as if it were the first food he'd had in at least a week. It was.

Soon enough, my eyelids slowly began to lower. I tried to stay awake, just in case Danny needed something, but I couldn't help myself. The world slowly lost its colour as I drifted into the land of dreams.

I awoke with a jerk many hours later. I blinked at my still unfamiliar surroundings, until I finally remembered where I was.

I groaned, tiredly.

_Where's Danny?_ was my first thought.

I quickly scanned the room, looking for my friend. But he was nowhere. And he wasn't out working, this was his break!

"Danny? Danny?" I called, after realizing he wasn't there.

Danny? Danny??!!" I called frantically. Only an echo answered.

I heard a creak. The large metal door of the cell opened. At first I was afraid it would be Vlad, but I soon realized that the shadow on the ground wasn't at all the shape of Vlad. It was Danny's!

I ran up to him and hugged him.

"Danny! You scared me! Where did you go? You weren't here when I woke up and I wa-"

"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly. He looked crestfallen. His eyes were red and swollen up. _Had he been crying?_

"No, no! It's ok! Don't be sad! I was just worried!" I replied quickly, not wanting to see him looking so down.

"I…I can…I can't-" Danny stammered, looking down at the floor.

"You can't what?" I urged, concerned at the seriousness of Danny's tone.

"I'm so sorry!" He broke down in sobs. I watched him as he fell down to the ground on his knees, unable to bear it all. He let his face fall into his hands, as tears rolled down his cheeks.

I was so shocked at the reaction, that I myself could barely react. I stood there, rigid, unable to move.

_Danny, what's happening to you?_

"Um, Danny…don't worry about it…All that matters is that you're here now…" I tried to calm him.

Obviously I didn't know what he was upset about. I'd thought it was because he'd worried me for not being in the room. Apparently, that wasn't it.

"No…not just that…It's that," He managed to say through his tears.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"Vlad called me-"

"Vlad?" I asked lividly. "What? What did _he _do to you? Tell me Danny!" I insisted.

I may be a little freaked by this Vlad guy, but that didn't mean I was going to let him do _anything_ to Danny, if I could help it. _If_ I could help it.

"He called me after work…He said…He said…"

There was a pause while Danny recollected himself.

"He said I was never going to see you again. He said you…you were making- making me softer…" he stammered.

_**WHAT??**_

I couldn't say anything.

"He said-"

But I cut him off.

"**Danny! NO! I won't let you go! I've just found you! I'm not letting you go**_!"_ I screamed, flinging my arms around one of the few people in the world I truly cared about. I didn't care if anyone heard me.

Danny only sobbed harder.

And as if that wasn't bad enough…

* * *

**Cliffie!! Lol! But I'm sure it's not hard to gess what happens next! lol I have the next chapter written out (I need to edit), but I don't have the ones after that yet. And I'm still thinking about what to write for them, so my updates may be a tiny bit longer. **

**Ok, so I hope you enjoyed, and if you did, I hope you'll give a review lol**

**But seriously, thanks to everyone who reviewed, alrted or faved this story, it means a lot! **

**Thanks to:**

**broken0dream, fireabe90, Morgruth, The dark and Evil PHANTOM, Tie-dyed Trickster, TrashBinSouvenir, WTF is a 'PenName', broken0dream, dessyweird51, iluvlucy7, lokkish, naitodoragon, orangecountycruiser2, technogrl15, Illustriously Unsound, FaLlEn-AnGeL627, Din Kelion, Kalaia, blah blah blah**

**Thank you to you all!  
**

**Btw, I hope I didn't forget anyone in the list. I've checked to make sure I haven't, but accidents happen. I think I have everyone, but I also have a feeling I forgot to put down someone's name...sorry if I did! Let me know if I did by accident, and I'll fix it. Sorry, it's justI have a feeling I did lol But anyways, I don't have to name you guys, I already know if you alerted, faved or reviewed, because I saw when you did it. So it's not like I forgot you, it's just that I may have missed a name here or there. Anyways, now I'm babbling...lol **

**♥**


	7. Meeting Mr Masters

**Hey! I know there was a little wait, but it's cause I've been working on my other story, Taking over, and I was busy with other stuff. But here it is!**

**PunkMichPhantom I'm so happy you like it! I hope you enjoy this chapter too : )**

**bailey[vicious™** **Glad you liked! Here's the next chapter!**

**Tie-dyed Trickster: ****LOL Wow, you're review was so funny, it made me laugh out out loud! lol In any case, I'm super happy you like the story so much, it' really means SOO much to me :) lol Anyways, I guess you won't have to that imitation cause here's the next chapter! Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy this one!**

**OddBallBlue: ****Lol, I know, sorry lol Anyways, thanks for the review, here's the next chapter.**

**broken0dream: ****Aw, thank you! I'm glad you think so :) Ya, poor Danny... :( I feel bad for what I'm ****making him go through...Well, Thanks for the review and enjoy the chapter!  
**

**dessyweird51: ****I know :( It's sad... anyways, I hope you like this one!**

* * *

**Danny's POV**

The girl hugged me tighter. She'd said earlier that her name was Sam, right? Both our tears were damping each other's shirts.

The hugging sensation was familiar. And not from when she first came into my cell…from even before that. But that's not possible…

I heard her whispering softly into my chest, in between sobs.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better…Don't leave me…I won't let you leave…"

_BAM!_

The door bolted open and in barged…_uh-oh_…

Vlad.

The gir-…Sam, locked her arms around me even more tightly than before.

"What do you want Vlad?" she growled, her voice breaking poisonously.

This Sam, she's so…strong…especially against Vlad. I wish I could be like that. Even in the worst situations…

* * *

"_STOP!! STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING HIM! STOP!" I heard the girl's voice scream and crack._

_It was that same voice I'd heard earlier…that vague memory of a voice. _

"_I'm sorry! I'm sorry Vlad! I didn't mean to!" I cracked._

_Crack!_

_I felt the whip snap against my bare back, leaving a brief moment for the searing pain and hot steam to instill themselves around my newly-formed gash. I felt as though I were about to collapse, but I stood strong._

_"Stop hurting him! I won't let you!"_

* * *

…she wouldn't let fear overcome her. All _I_ ever remember is being afraid of him. Always being his slave. Nothing else. I wonder if I was always like this? Was I born here? I only vaguely remember a former life. _Very_ vaguely. But it's not real. Or at least...it doesn't seem real. That's what scares me...the fact that it may be a dream... But it must be a dream, because this girl was a part of it. 

I'm not sure this…fear…is something I've always felt. Aren't there other feelings one can have? Like this Sam girl…

Who is she anyways? Vlad told me she's a new slave. I like her.

"Tsk, tsk! What's this? This girl really is making you softer, huh?" Vlad said condescendingly.

Peircing screaming, agonizing pain, loud crashes. It all came at once. I opened my eyes, and found myself at the other end of the cell, flat on the floor. I tried to rise again, but I was too weak. Vlad had just blasted with powerful ecto-beam.

"I thought I told you too stay away from this girl," Vlad said gruffly.

It was she who had screamed. Sam, that is.

"I'm sorry Vlad…" I struggled to get the words out. I rubbed my head in pain.

"Sorry is **not** good enough boy…maybe you need to be taught another lesson?" Vlad wondered aloud.

"No…no! No! I'm sorry!! Please don't do that to me! _Please_!" I begged.

I think the fear in my voice was evident, because I immediately saw Sam look over at me, and then bare her teeth at Vlad.

"Don't you dare touch him!" she seethed.

"Oh dear…it seems _someone_ has been becoming a little too comfortable here. Forgetting our place, now are we?"

She flushed angrily. I was still trying to get up. My shirt had been torn and had a large hole in the front. Consequently, the floor's coldness entered straight into my upper body, sending chills down my spine.

"Oh my!" Vlad said in a high fake voice, "Of course Miss! I'm sooo sorry to have upset you!" He said with a large overdramatic courtesy. His cape fluttered slightly.

She glared at him.

"Well, I didn't want to have to this to the 'flower', but I'm afraid it must be done to keep you in place."

Vlad raised his hand, ready to attack Sam.

_Blam_!

A pink beam emerged from his hands, outlining the girl in a fushia color. Vlad then raised his hand, raising Sam along with him.

_He's controlling her!_

She was screeching. I don't know what came over me…but suddenly…

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" I screamed. Vlad froze in surprise, as did Sam.

I bolted up, and opened my mouth extraordinarily wide. A large wail emanated from my mouth, causing waves to spread throughout the room.

I opened my eyes, only to find the two on the ground.

_Whoa! What did I just do?_

I wasn't the only one surprised though.

"WHAT WAS THAT? HOW DID YOU DO THAT!!!?" Vlad thunderd.

I heard Sam gasp.

"That's right! He had those weird ghostly powers and vibes going on! That must be another one of them, like the phasing!" She mumbled, under her breath.

_What? What is she talking about? And I AM NOT a ghost! Even Vlad isn't sure, he's still doing tests on me to be certain!_

I looked back at Vlad, this time realizing something I hadn't realized immediately after my big performance. He wasn't Vlad anymore!

He looked like a regular man. He had a broad chest, but not as much as when he was a ghost. His hair was tied back into a small pony-tail, and had a streak of grey. He was clad in a black suit with a white shirt and red tie.

I could tell Sam noticed it too.

He realized we were looking at him, and hung his head.

"So now you know my secret. YES, I'm a halfa, alright? Now quit staring!"

I immediately obeyed, but Sam didn't. She wrinkled her nose in confusion. Cute.

"Halfa?" Sam questioned.

"Yes! A halfa, you ignorant child! A hybrid! A freak of nature! I'm half ghost, half human!"

"But, that's not possib-"

"That's what you'd think, isn't it? But it is! I'm half human. When I am in human form, I'm just like anyone else. But I can turn into a ghost willingly. And then I have the same powers as a ghost."

"So…you're half-dead?"

"It's not my fault! It's _his_ father's!" He pointed at me accusingly.

"Twenty years ago, he made a mistake with our college experiment that turned me into this freak!"

"But I haven't turned into a human in months…that wail…it was powerful enough to make me revert to my human form…he must be a ghost!"

"Danny, a ghost? That's impos-" Sam stopped, as if to think.

So I really am a ghost then? That would explain so much. Like why I keep phasing through stuff. And why I was able to do that wail thing and knock everyone down.

"So then, Danny's half-ghost?" Sam inquired.

"That's what I've been trying to figure out for he past few weeks. I've been doing tests and watching him closely. He obviously isn't a complete ghost, he looks human. And acts like it too. So the only explanations for his 'powers' would be that he is a hybrid, or that his parents used some strange machine on him, and he just got powers. I was beginning to think it was the latter, because whenever his powers showed, he wasn't in a ghost form, but his human one. So I wondered. But after what's just happened, I'm positive he's a ghost. I just don't know why he stays in his human form when he uses his powers. I'm not sure if he has a ghost form."

"So Danny's…half-dead…" Sam couldn't process this information. Neither could I. How was that even possible? When did it happen to me?

"And now," Vlad's voice turning to that nasty cold tone it had before the explanation, "You know my secret. That my friends,_ does not_ make me happy."

* * *

**Ooooh, evil cliffie...lol**

**Ok, you know the drill, let me know what you think :)**


	8. A Few More Surprises

**Hey again. I'm real sorry bout the wait :(**

**broken0dream: Thank you! I'm so glad you like :) You felt it went a little fast? Hm, I didn't really notice, but I suppose I see what you mean now lol But thanks for the advice anyway :) I really hope you enjoy this one! Let me know you thoughts!**

**Tie-dyed Trickster: Lol! I'm so glad you liked :) I really hope you'll enjoy this one to the same extent as the others:) (Oh, and yes, Vlad really did get served, huh? Lol It was a very satisfying part to write (smirk) )**

**dessyweird51: ****I hope that's a good thing…lol Enjoy!**

**PunkMichPhantom: Oh, thanks so much! I'm so happy you liked! O, sorry about the cliffies :( And hurting Danny :( It makes me sad as I write it too T. T I'm quite the evil author aren't I? lol But, anyways, I hope you enjoy this chappie snd tell me if you liked it!**

**Illustriously Unsound: Tell me about it lol Danny's too though. Enjoy this one.**

**OddBallBlue: I know, I'm the one writing, and _I _feel sorry for him :( Anyways, thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy this one (though you may stab this cliffie too :O sorry…:( ) lol**

**Ok, I;d like to know everyone's thoughts on this chapter (in particular), firstly because I wasn't too sure about it (at the end), and secondly, because I just really enjoy hearing your thoughts :) Enjoy this chappie! **

* * *

**Sam's POV**

_There's gotta be a way out of here. _I thought to myself as I fiddled with my bobby pin. I'd tried using it to try and open the lock on the door, but it didn't work.

I slumped forward in defeat. I felt myself shiver. Danny and I had been moved to another, much smaller (and much colder) room after we'd found out about Vlad's little secret.

_Man, it's so cold in here. What, is he trying to freeze us before destroying us? Because, somehow, I don't think that will numb the pain_.

Danny was leaning on me. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep. I let my hand fall on his stomach comfortingly but he winced and recoiled slightly. I quickly moved my hand, thinking that I had come in contact with a part of him that had been whipped or something. Little did I know that he'd flinched because of something much worse than a whip.

* * *

"_That's it. You have both failed and disrespected me too many times! I'll have no more of this insolence! You will both remain in this room until the day after tomorrow. That is when your punishment will be carried out." Vlad fumed._

"_B-b-but…aren't- aren't we goin-" Danny stammered._

"_QUIET!!" Vlad thundered. I could almost feel the ground shake. "You have 48 hours until your punishment."_

"_You are so inhuman, you, you, you monster!" I managed to spit out._

"_I have no use for you anymore," he said callously, "Not even the ghost powered-child. He only has the more basic and primitive of ghost powers after all. I already possess those, and many others. He's nothing new to me. Even that strange ghostly wail power. It's nothing I can't easily possess."_

"_What are you talking about?" I asked._

_But suddenly, I wished I hadn't._

_Vlad took out a long gun from under his cape. He shot it at Danny. I watched in horror as a green beam of energy was sucked out of his very body. He was glowing with green ectoplasm, but it gradually disappeared. _

"_What did you-"_

_"Quiet! In 48 hours you will both be hanged. I advise you to spend your remaining hours…wisely." _

* * *

By my watch, it had been two hours since that little scene had taken place. It happened soon after Vlad transformed back to his ghost form.

"I wish you could remember…" I whispered softly, while stroking a strand of Danny's jet black hair. I didn't expect him to answer, but surprisingly, he did.

"I-I-I do…"

"Huh?"

" I do remember…a little…"

I sat up excitedly.

"You do? You remember Amity? You remember me? Jazz, Tucker, your parents?" I said, thinking it would just be too good to be true if Danny really did remember.

"I…I remember…" he trailed off at the end. He seemed to fall into a sudden trance.

"So, you remem- you remember me? Please, Danny! Tell me you do!" I almost cried.

"It's coming. Coming back…to me," he whispered ambiguously.

_Yeessss! _

"What do you remember?" I tried to coax it out of him gently. I didn't want to sound too excited; it might freak him out. It seemed the smallest things did that these days…

"I remember…Tucker, Sam…Jazz," he froze as tears welled up in his eyes. Suddenly, as if being snapped out of his previous trance, he looked at me and cried happily, "Sam!! I'm so glad you're here!"

_YESSS!!! HE FINALLY REMEMBERS!_

"Danny!" I cried, flinging my arms around him in a tight hug. "You remember! You remember me?!"

"Yes… Sam…I do, Sam…" he said.

"Danny, what had happened to you?"

"What do you mean…?" he hesitated slowly.

"Vlad, what had he done to you? How did he make you that way? You know, make you forget?"

Danny tensed slightly. Uh oh. Maybe it was a bit too soon to ask that question. I was just so excited I couldn't help myself, that's all!

"Oh… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked…"

That was pretty inconsiderate of me. I mean, just because he remembered me, it didn't mean he wasn't still scared…and scarred…from before.

He sighed and slumped forward in defeat. "No, you're- you're right. I should- I should tell you. It's, just- it's just that…I was- well…it will be hard…that's all."

I smiled warmly.

And so, over the next hour, Danny told me about how he was brought here. About how Vlad found out about his powers, and about how he had been treated so badly. I almost cried, several times. He told me about how Vlad had made him forget about, well, everything. Apparently, he had brainwashed Danny. And the torture he had put him through…it was terrible.

"There were several different things he did to me. I can't…" he sighed, "Tortures, he'd torture me…

"Like the Wheel. He'd strap me to circular table. Then he'd pull on a lever that would make the table spin around at the speed of sound. I was- was always so…dizzy after, and I'd be- nauseous. I'd have to throw up…but he wouldn't let me. I did once…and then he punished me with the whip. And the Tube. It was vacuum-sealed, so I couldn't breathe. He'd leave me in there for one minute. I'd get a killer headache after, and I wouldn't be able to breathe. I'd stumble out of the giant cylinder, and…and I remember- I'd gasp for air. And then I'd have to work right after. I'd feel like I was going to die. He did it to me more than once a day, at times. And the Slicer, that one was the wors-"

"_The Slicer_?" I breathed, incredulously, finally registering what Danny was saying.

Danny was startled by my little interruption. It was as though, while he was telling me about what had happened, he'd slipped off into a world of painful memories. He seemed unaware that I was even in the room.

He looked up at me, innocently, emptily. A moment later, he snapped back to reality. Slowly, his hand reached down to his shirt. He pulled it up, revealing his bare torso. I gasped.

At least eight long gashes were engraved across his torso. Some of the slashes were red and wide, while others had dried up slightly and were relatively narrower. It looked like some wolf with extremely large nails had clawed him.

"Danny!' I gasped, "Oh my goodness; we have to bandage them right away, we have to fix them, now! Quick, it's not right to leave them like tha-"

Danny didn't say anything but he put up his hand, as if to silence me, though he did it gently.

"Sam, don't worry…These aren't the first ones I've gotten, they'll heal eventually," he whispered softly.

I don't know why, but for some reason, I didn't protest. Ordinarily I would have insisted that he let me treat them for him, despite the fact that we didn't have too much medical equipment on hand. But, he reassured me somehow.

I nodded and signaled for him to continue.

"Anyways, " he sighed, "Shackles attached to a table, a giant axe…I think you can guess what the Slicer was. And sometimes, he'd just simply slap or hit or punch me. Either for doing something wrong, or just because he felt like it, or was in a bad mood, or something. I've even been beaten a few times…Oh yeah, and there's the whip too…" Danny said. He was becoming more and more coherent as he spoke. He stammered less, and he was beginning to sound as a normal teenager should.

"That's terrible…" I shuddered.

We sat in silence for a moment, before I finally worked up the courage to speak again. I knew I was going out on a limb here, but…

"Um…Danny…do you remember when Vlad had said…er…when he said you needed to be _taught another lesson_? What was that- I mean, what was he talking about?" I hesitated.

Danny was deathly silent for a few moments.

Ugh…me and my big mouth. 

"He had a room. A room where he would put me. I-I would hide in the corner, to try to escape him. But it only made it worse. He'd lock me in the room, and it would be all dark. Then the room would go dark. Vlad would stand outside, and watch- in amusement.

He'd press on a certain button…and then it would start."

He stopped, and I believed he was finished. I didn't press him to go on. But, a few moments later, he spoke again.

"It would start. The walls would close in on me…and all my worst fears; all my nightmares would come true. Vlad said that there was a machine in the room that was programmed to tap into my head, and find out what scared me most. Then, it would make it appear before my eyes…and seemingly come true. It never _actually_ happened…any of my nightmares, that is. But Sam, that room made it seem so real…I was forced in twice…and I cried…"

"Danny, you're- you're really strong." I stammered, astounded.

"What're you talking about? I'm a weakling," Danny joked, trying to make me smile, despite the current situation. He succeeded. Though I must admit, it was rather strange of him to suddenly switch from being so scared to so comical.

_Now that's the Danny I know._

"No Danny. You're strong to have survived all that stuff Vlad put you through."

"Yeah well…you know. I remembered something important…'there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.' You were that light Sam."

"Huh?"

I was a bit confused, but he had a knowing smile on his face. I was much reminded of that picture of him and me at the park. The one where we were on the monkey bars. He had the same smile here. But this one was a little more innocent, a little more reminiscent.

"Jazz once told me…There's…there's always a light. At the end of the tunnel. I remembered that when I was being tortured. Before you came, that is. And, it helped me stay strong. But I was so lucky that you were there at the time my memories were erased. After my memories were gone, I wouldn't have remembered about what Jazz had said. I would have died. But you were like a replacement for her words. I didn't remember you…but something told me you were…you know…"

I started tearing up slightly.

"You were my light at the end of the tunnel."

I flung my arms around Danny…again. He smiled.

"I missed you Sam. But…But you- you know…You never told me how you got here."

And then I began to tell him _my _story. When I finished, _he _had started tearing up.

"Danny? Danny, what's the matter?"

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault…" he said softly.

"No, of course not…I'm glad I found you. I'd rather go this way than go without having ever known where you were," I whispered.

I hugged him. We held our embrace for the longest time. Finally, after both our tears and regrets had faded, I spoke.

"We have to escape," I said, my voice barely audible.

"What?"

"We have to escape." I repeated, clearing my throat to try to sound confident, though I'm not sure it worked.

"How can we escape Sam?"

"I don't know…" I started out pensively, but then suddenly, realization dawned upon me, as I excitedly stated, "Your powers…you can turn intangible! Can you do it with your whole body?"

Duh! How had I not thought of that before?! 

"I can try…" he said, not too sure of himself.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut, obviously concentrating really hard.

_C'mon Danny, c'mon…you can do it…c'mon…! _I pleaded inwardly.

I think he could sense my thoughts, because he squeezed his eyes even tighter. His body was so tense it was almost shaking. That made me stifle a small giggle. Yes, I realized that it was crucial to stay focused in a life-or-death situation, but I couldn't really help it. He just looked so cute.

"What?" he asked innocently, blinking his eyes open to stare at me, (after he'd heard me giggle, no doubt).

He's so clueless…I sighed, though not without a smile. 

"Can you do it?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"I can't seem to right now. Hold on, let me try some other power…" he said determinedly.

He tried to fire ecto-blasts, make force fields, and even try to do that thing that knocked me and Vlad down.

"Nothing?" I asked, hoping for a different answer than the one which I was expecting.

"Nothing…" he confirmed.

"The gun!" I realized, guessing why Danny's powers weren't working, "It must have sucked out your powers! That's what Vlad meant when he said he could easily have your power. He used the gun to absorb your powers…"

Danny didn't seem too concerned about this. It was as if he hadn't even heard me.

"Sam, I'm so tired…" He stifled a yawn.

I looked at him sadly.

_Poor thing. Of course he's tired. He must be exhausted. I'm surprised he's still alive…_

Danny laid his head on my lap. I decided to let him rest. He needed it, and deserved it. I checked my watch. Forty-five and a half hours left. I gently lay my head back against the wall, only for a brief moment, which ended up being another half-hour.

* * *

I shook my head groggily, after awaking from a half-hour's sleep. I was sleeping more and more these days. I wondered why. I felt a heavy weight bearing on my legs. I looked down, remembering that Danny had fallen asleep on me. 

I looked at my watch, but, when realizing what I had just seen, did a double take on Danny.

_What in the world…_

Snowy white hair, glowing green eyes, a black and white HAMZAT suit?

Something here was definitely _very_ wrong.

* * *

**There we are! Chapter 8! reviews please:)**

**Okay, also, I must let you know...I'm having a serious case of 'not knowing what to write next'. It's not exactly SO bad as to qualify as writer's block, so that'll be my name for it for the moment. In other words, this is as much a cliffie to you guys as it is to me... :(**

**If anyone has any ideas, they would be much appreciated. If not, then just a review would be nice :) And don't worry, I'll come up with something eventually, it jsut may take a bit of time :O**

**Love all,**

**Crystal**


	9. The Plan

**Hey all. This is a really short chapter, not a chapter at all really, but it's important. Enjoy :)**

**broken0dream: Yup, he's finally DP! yay:) This chapter should clear it up. Anyways, I'm glad you liked it :) Enjoy this one!**

**Tie-dyed Trickster: Lol, tell me about it! It really is worse, now that I think about it…or at least just as bad. Lol Anyways, I'm glad you liked the chapter! lol Uh-oh...if you wanted to kill Vlad befroe, you're gonna be wanting to _obliterate_ him after these next few chaps... But still, that doesn't chabge the fact that that's a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself, (about killing Vlad, that is). I wouldn't mind terribly at all :) However, he is already half-ghost, so you may need to take out the belt (the one that short-circuits the ghost's powers;I forget what it's' called), to make sure you kill his human form…oh my…I'm shocked at how very morbid it is that I actually realized that :O lol Anyways, I am terribly sorry to burst your bubble, but I'll have to ask you to wait till the end of the fic to blast him with your vast and incomparable talents, as I may be using his human form later… ;)  
Enjoy this one (even though it's short! Lol)**

**Illustriously Unsound: Well, I dunno, I think it makes sense. Maybe the switching back and forth between POVs is confusing you? ah well, I hope you feel better soon.**

**Thunderstorm101: Wow, that's an awewsome idea lol Thanks for it, I really needed an explanation for his sudden transformation, and yours helped me get on with the story quicker, thanks:) I hope you enjoy this one!**

**dessyweird51: Lol enjoy this one! PS just out of curiosity, what does ror mean? lol**

**PunkMichPhantom: No, no your idea's really cool! I'm gonna switch back to Sam/Danny POV after this chapter, so we'll see how that turns out Lol Thanks for offering one, it really helps and I appreciate it lol Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjy this mini-chapter! lol**

**PS, I know the POV is unknown, but I'm sure you all exactly who it is anyways lol**

**PPS By the way, I"d like to thank PunkMichPhantom, and Thunderstorm101 for offering ideas, it's much apprecaited!**

* * *

**Unknown POV**

_Yes, this was perfect._

I used my telescope to peer into the small room's dusty window.

_We really should get that cleaned. _

"Sir, do you need anything else from me?" somebody next to me asked. I wasn't too aware of the voice, and I wasn't really trying to pay attention to it either.

"No, leave me here," I ordered.

"Alright sir. Here's your coffee," the voice said as she hurried away.

_Oh yes, this is perfect. _I felt a grin uncurl on my lips.

My plan was unfurling, finally. Weeks of my backbreaking turmoil and planning and hard work had paid off. Of course, the sinister plan was just revenge. Revenge on the bumbling oaf's offspring. And of course, it was also for my amusement.

I was sitting in the highest room of the left wing of my mansion. It was a large and high tower, and perfect for spying on anyone in the entire mansion.

I looked at the girl and the boy in the small room. The girl's expression was frantic and worried, no doubt at seeing the boy's ghostly form. But the boy was still asleep.

Just as I had hoped. The gun's powers were only temporary. Once they returned to the ghost who had once possessed them, it gave a jump-start, so they were absolutely _forced _into turning into their ghostly-half, _if they had one. _If not, they would've simply killed them. The shock of all the powers gushing through at once was too great.

Though it may be wondered by many how on earth causing the boy to transform was evil or amusing, well…it's just that a brilliant genius like myself gets lonely in a big mansion. Any bit of entertainment I can get, I'll take. And confusing the two just before their sentence was most certainly entertainment to me.

Of course, I had noted the possibility that they'd find out about his powers that came with the ghost half transformation, but it didn't matter. It couldn't help them escape; there was a protective shield around the mansion.

Besides, trying to figure out what had happened would keep them busy for awhile, and they'd forget all about trying to escape.

The boy was slowly waking…his eyes blinking slightly…I saw him recoil from the girl's touch a few times, and flinch repeatedly. He was holding himself tightly. It reminded me much of how he looked when I'd put him in 'The Room'.

_Glad to see I have an influence on the boy's life._

I laughed and let it echo through the dreary night.

* * *

**I know, I know, it's barely a page (well actually, it's a page and two sentences). But like I said before, this is just a little chapter to make it easier to grasp what's going on... the next update will be a real chapter. anyways,you know how it goes, let me know your thoughts...**


	10. Take me instead

**Hey all. I'd like to point out that in my story, all the characters (Danny, Vlad, Sam etc) are extremely OOC. **

**Okay, sorry bout the wait, for some reason it a little longer; I'm not sure why. Anyways, i like how it turned out. The story may take a little turn here, so get ready for it! lol **

**Also, I wanna give out a big thank yyou to all my reviewers, because you guys are absolutely fabulous! It's your reviews that keep me smiling all day, and make me forget aobut my problems :) You guys rock!**

**mizu-tatsu: Well, I know in the show, Danny already knows Vlad (after he meets him of course). But to make my story work right, I needed to make it so that he didn't kow Vlad. He doesn't know about Vlad because he's never had to fight him, because he doesn't know he has powers (until these past few chapters). So basically, I changed it up a little bit :)  
I hope you like this chapter, and I hope that cleared things up for you. Tell me if you have any other questions, and I''ll be happy to answer!**

**dessyweird51: lol, ah, I see :) lol ok, enjoy this chappie and tell me your thoughts!**

**PunkMichPhantom: I'm really happy you like it so much! Let me know about this chappie!**

**Tie-dyed Trickster: lol! Whew, good thing your muse was there to protect me! Lol ya, your right, having Plasmius around all the time would be a pain lol Anyways, enjoy this chappie and tell me your thoughts!**

**broken0dream Lol tell me about it! I'm glad it cleared things up :) I really hope you like this onee as much! Tell me what you think!**

**Thunderstorm101: Lol, yup! I know what's gonna happen lol I do control all the characters' destinies after all :) I needed a lil help back there, but I think I'm back on track ☺ Hmm, interesting point you raise there (about Danny and Vlad) …well, you'll just have to read and see! Tell me your thoughts!**

**Alright, enjoy!**

**Danny's POV**

* * *

_"Stop! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just stop! Please! Please! I'll do better! I promise! Just please, please stop!" I pleaded, on the verge of tears, my voice cracking harshly._

"_So pathetic…" said the light and derisive voice in the next room._

_I covered my face with my hands. I tried to gather myself into a tight ball, trying to squeeze myself into the small space that was closing in on me. My eyes closed tightly. I tried to repel all the things I was seeing by doing so, but it didn't work, as Vlad had pointed out._

_"Oh you can't get rid of them so easily my boy. Closing your eyes…or doing anything else for that matter, won't stop the fears. Isn't it lovely how easily one can turn a strong confident teen into a blathering mess?" he said contentedly. _

* * *

I awoke with a start. I was sweaty and clammy, and I found myself panting slightly. I felt a hand press on my shoulder. _Sam…_

I sighed in relief.

"Nightmare?" she asked understandingly.

"Um…it was nothing…" I muttered, not wanting to talk about it. I had already told her enough, I wouldn't feel comfortable telling her everything. It's not that I don't trust her or anything…it's just that…I don't want to seem too weak…

Even though sometimes I feel that I am…

"Oh…um, okay…" she said quietly. "Um, in that case Danny…You might wanna see this…" she mumbled nervously, pointing at me.

"Umm…what my clothes?" I asked perplexed. She shook her head. I looked at myself.

I almost jumped back in shock.

In front of my eyes was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen. I was no longer wearing my torn jeans or so-torn-it-was-almost-non-existent T-shirt. I was now clad in a black HAZMAT suit. The arms, legs, belt and neckline were a silvery white. On the front of my chest was a strange symbol that resembled a D. The suit wasn't torn, like my other clothes; it was in perfect condition.

"What the heck? What happened?" I asked, startled at the sight of myself like this.

"Umm…I don't know…I fell asleep, and you fell asleep on me. And then I woke up, and you just sort of…looked this way…"

I looked at Sam. She shrugged bewilderedly. "Um, that's not all. Your hair's changed too…it's white. And your eyes-um, your eyes are glowing. Green..." she said uncertainly, as though she thought I might blame her.

I pulled a strand of my hair as far as I could in front of my face. Sam was right. It was white.

"I don't understand," I muttered.

"Well, I thought maybe…"

"What?" I asked, a little too eagerly, desperate for an answer.

"Um…" she was tentative, like I'd never seen before. What was she so worried about? It's not like I was going to yell at _her _because of this. "Well, I'm not exactly sure…but I thought, maybe…it was your…ghost half?"

"Ghost half?" I asked vaguely, completely lost.

"Remember how, um, how Vlad had a ghost half?" she mouthed the word Vlad hesitantly. "Well, he said you were showing signs of ghost powers, and its possible that…that this is your ghost half…"

"My ghost half…" I repeated, somewhat dazed from the surprise of this unexpected revelation.

"Yeah, um, I don't know why though. I mean, I don't know why you turned into a ghost all of a sudden. Maybe you had some sort of shock or something, and that made it appear?"

"That's it!" I said excitedly, remembering what had happened the last time I had tried to escape the mansion. "Last time I tried to escape, I turned invisible by thinking of things that made me angry. That's how I got through the door and almost escaped!"

"Almost?" Sam croaked.

"There's a protective shield around the mansion. It ensures that all the 'slaves' stay inside, and don't escape. Anyways, that must be why I turned into my supposed ghost half! Because when I got really emotional, whether sad, angry, or whatever, I'd turn invisible. So when I have an emotional overload, I must turn into a complete ghost!" I realized, all the pieces coming together.

"But Danny, why do you even have ghost powers? Did Vlad give them to you?" Sam asked, somewhat confused.

"No," I said firmly, sure of my answer. "Remember when it used to happen to me, even before I was captured. In fact, it even happened to me the night I was captured."

Sam nodded.

"The question now is how to get out of here." Sam checked her watch. "We have 45 hours left. That's actually a lot. But we have to think of something fast."

"Think of something?"

"Yes!" Sam said fervently, almost screaming. "We have to get out of here!"

"Okay, okay! Relax! We'll get out Sam, don't worry!" I said, trying to calm her. This was really getting to her. I closed my eyes in attempt to concentrate and think of an idea.

"But I thought you said here was an impenetrable protective shield around the mansion!"

"Excellent observation," a calm voice drawled out from the doorway of the cell.

I felt Sam's hand clutch my arm tightly in surprise, though she loosened her grip slightly when she realized who it was.

"You know, you two aren't as dim-witted as you seem," he said. Sam seemed to want to get up and punch him;I could tell from the way she was digging her fingernails into my skin. I squeezed her hand warningly, hoping she would get the message: 'he's just trying to make you mad; don't let him win you over!'

"I quite enjoyed your theory about your ghost half," he said, directing his comment at me. It amused me…and I must admit, it wasn't a bad try. You see, your turning ghost has nothing to do with your emotions. I must admit I don't know why you have ghost powers, or why they were powered by your emotions when you tried to escape. But turning into your ghost half? No, no, no. That was _my_ doing."

I stared at Vlad defiantly. For some reason, I wasn't scared anymore. I wasn't afraid of facing Vlad. I didn't know why…

"What're you talking about?" Sam spat, holding me.

…Though I had a hunch.

"Well, you remember the gun I shot you with?" Vlad inquired, a little too casually for my liking.

I narrowed my eyes at him in disdain.

He smiled. "Well, it didn't actually take your powers. Permanently, that is. The gun steals your powers temporarily. A few hours later, your powers return to you, and it gives you a jump-start that turns you into your ghost form. _If _you have one, that is," he finished dangerously, with an evil half-smile.

"I thought you'd said before that you weren't sure if Danny was a ghost…" Sam frowned, her eyes slightly narrowed, though in confusion.

"I did," Vlad said with a simple smile.

"So wait," I interrupted, my heart beating just a bit faster than usual, "Then, what would've happened to me, if I wasn't hal-," I stopped suddenly, my question now void. Understanding now washed over me as I raised my eyes to his. I glared at him with every ounce of revulsion I could muster. Yes, it was all gone. Every bit of fear I had _ever _felt around this man had vanished. Now, all I felt was pure loathing.

"You mean…you mean that gun could've," Sam whispered, her chest heaving as she let a trembling hand hover over her half-open mouth. "He could've…_died_?" She breathed the last word, almost inaudibly. In spite of my sudden urge to get up and ecto-blast the man square in the face (even though I didn't know how), I held onto Sam's arm. I felt her start to shake; she was crying. I squeezed her arm even tighter, my breathing heavy.

"Oh don't worry if you missed your chance to be worried about death, my boy," he pointed out happily, "You'll soon receive it." His eyes shifted off from me and onto Sam. "But I do think we'll hang the girl first."

"You filthy liar!" I tried to shout, but I couldn't find the energy. I was too emotionally, and physically drained. "It hasn't even been near 48 hours yet!"

I noticed the glow of his red eyes waver back onto me. "You're right…I just couldn't wait any longer," he said thoughtfully.

"Are you ready?" he asked Sam. She recoiled into me. I held her even tighter, if possible.

"Come now darling," he snarled. He was about to take her hand. I wasn't going to let him lay a hand on her.

Before I could understand what was happening, a green jet blasted out from my hand, throwing Vlad onto the floor.

_Nice! I've been wanting to try that power out!_

I armed myself for an attack from Vlad, expecting him to fight back. To my surprise, he didn't.

"You know, it isn't smart to engage in a battle, when you know almost nothing about your powers, boy," he cautioned me.

"Nothing about my powers, huh?" I scoffed, deriding him. "If I do recall correctly, I have enough power to knock you into your human form."

Vlad flashed me a smile so disgustingly evil, so sick, that I couldn't even suppress my disgust anymore. I let my mouth fall open, as widely as I could. I let out all my anger, all my weariness. But nothing came out.

"Something…_wrong_, my boy?" He said the word _wrong_ quickly, jerkily, accentuating it.

"What did you do to me?" I growled.

"I didn't do anything Daniel," he said smugly, using my name for the first time. I wasn't even aware that he knew my name. "It happens though…when a ghost is tired. Worn out. They're powers begin to slow. Sometimes they die out completely. It's temporary of course, but you can never _really_ tell when they'll come back." He spoke as if he were an university English professor.

I glared at him. I wanted to try my other powers, to prove him a liar. But I didn't need to. He was right. I was exhausted, and I could just feel it in my blood, that even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to do something as simple as turning my finger invisible.

There were a few moments of silence. It seemed as though the whole world held its breath, but it was really only Sam and I who did. They felt like the longest moments of my life. The smell of rust on the chains in the old musty basement, the taste of sweat finding its way into my mouth, the faint buzzing of crickets somewhere miles away…somewhere free in the fields; everything. Everything seemed to be trying to remind me that minutes were passing, and that something had to happen. Even Vlad. He had raised an eyebrow to join his corner-smile, which gave an overall: 'You've been defeated, you have no way out; so what'll it be?' effect.

My chest fell as I let a sigh escape my mouth and closed my eyes in relinquishment. "Fine. You win Vlad," I said quietly, looking down at the cold cement floor.

"Exellent. I knew you'd come to your senses boy. Now, shall we go, Samantha?" Sam's face was a mixture of contempt, dread and trepidation.

I watched her walk away from behind, Vlad leading the way. She looked back, an expression of fear I had never seen before was on her face.

I couldn't, I just couldn't let it happen. It was my fault she was here. Well…maybe not exactly…but still…I couldn't shake the feeling that she wouldn't have suffered the exact fate if I weren't here as well.

"No!"

Vlad turned and gave me a look of mock surprise.

"Stop. Don't take her. Take me instead." I was still looking down at the floor, my head hanging, but I spoke with clarity and a firm voice. I could hear the protest in Sam's voice but Vlad silenced her before she had a chance to even finish her first word. I don't how he did it, and I didn't look up to see, but I took it as a bad sign that I involuntarily flinched as she was cut off.

"Hmm, this is rather chivalrous of you, boy," he mocked. "Alright, fine," he finished, all sign of laughter and ridicule had vanished from his tone now. He was completely solemn.

I looked up. Sam was contained in a protective shield, so I couldn't hear a word she was saying, but she was waving frantically at me, making vague signs and gestures. I shook my head. "But you'd better send her home, Vlad. You have to promise," I said quietly, glaring venomously Vlad's, in what I hoped was a threatening manner.

Vlad looked at me, drew himself up haughtily and said, "Fine. But you're coming with me." He grabbed my wrist brashly, then turned around to face Sam. He blasted a yellow jet of light at her, but instead of falling backwards from it, she disappeared. He turned back to me.

"It's time. Your sentence must be carried out," he proclaimed, drawing his cape around his muscular figure. He shot an ecto-blast at my hands, creating a green translucent pair of shackles that bound my wrists together. "After you," he smiled, bowing dramatically and escorting me out the door.

* * *

**Oooh, suspenseful lol jk**

**Let me know if you liked this and stuff.**

**PS. My next update may take a bit longer because I won't be here for the next few days, so I'm gonna start on chappter 11 when I come back.**

**love,**

**CrystalDream**


	11. Hung

**hey all. ok, so I know this chapter took like forever to get up, and im sorry. but here it is. im really tired right now, so i dont really have any A/Ns, except for: Enjoy!**

**DP fan:Awesome! I've never gotten a dp pluhie before:) keep enjoying the story and let me know your thoughts!**

**dessyweird51:Glad you did enjoy this one too; and fill me in on your thoughts!**

**New Ghost Girl:Yay! Im so happy you like it :) I jope you like this one too! Let me kow if you did :)**

**PunkMichPhantom:Lol, I know, I know… that wasn't very nice of me, was it? Lol im sorry :( heres the next chappie though:) leave m e with your comments after!**

**EmoGwyddoniaeth2:Lol, glad you like :) here's the update! Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!**

**Thunderstorm101:Hm, well, I;m not sure if we're thinking of the same type of hanging…anyways, read on and you'll see what I meant.Tell me your thoughts on the chappie; id luv to hear em!**

**Tie-dyed Trickster:Lol, don't worry; villains always get their just deserts :) (usually) lolAnyways enjoy this one, and let me know whatcha think,k:)**

* * *

Footsteps echoed through the long yet narrow hallway. A large shadow belonging to my subjugator paved my way down the bystander-lined corridor. Other ghost and human Slaves were lined up against the wall, for the sole and exclusive purpose of my humiliation. Some whispered quietly to each other, others jeered, taunted and hissed. I tried to walk through what seemed like a fashion show; everyone intently watching me walk down an aisle (though what the "fashion show" lacked in beauty it made up for in despairingly unreal doom and despair.

I kept my head down, not daring to look up any longer, and also wanting to try hide my face, just in case... My mind was racing; thoughts of Sam clouded my mind. _I hope she gets out alright…_ I felt a piece of silk brush my face. I looked up, where two gleaming red eyes greeted me…none too friendlily, however.

"Did you just touch my cape?" Vlad's shrieking voice reverberated in the now silent hallway.

I hesitated, but only for a moment.

"I didn't touch it, you're the one who suddenly decided to walk in front of me and try to trip me," I braved, knowing how far out of line I was going.

The ghost's black pupils dilated, then suddenly became unusually small.

"Do you want to repeat that, _boy_?" I think I could actually _feel _the venom dripping from that last word.

"I think you heard me," my voice cracked.

I felt a tiny gust of air lightly brush by my face, as a simultaneous familiar searing feeling found it's way onto my right cheek. The black whip's tattered though still effective, leather frictioned against my face for a fraction of a moment, and then with a sudden snap, it left contact with my skin. It did however, leave it's mark.

I stood as still as possible, barely wincing.

"How about another one?" Vlad smiled, his fingers closing around the whip longingly.

"Go ahead!" I screamed, " GO AHEAD AND DO IT! YOU'VE ALREADY TAKEN EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME FOR YOUR SICK ENJOYMENT, AND NOW YOUR ABOUT TO ADD MY LIFE TO THAT LIST TOO!"

Vlad was no longer smiling.

I saw it, the whip slowly raising into the air. I don't know why, but it was more threatening this time, more frightening.

Before I could even try to back away, and before the whip could even touch me, I heard a scream emanate from the crowd.

"STOP! YOU MONSTER!"

My first thought was Sam; 'monster' seemed to be one of her favorite pet names for Vlad. But that didn't sound like her at all…

"WHO SAID THAT!" Vlad bellowed.

No answer came. It was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. Vlad's eyes scanned the crowd and came to rest, lingering on a particular spot a few feet ahead of us. He grinned lightly, and slowly brought his look back upon me. He looked at me with a satisfied smile. Then, as if nothing had even happened, he wordlessly turned on his heel and continued leading the way down the corridor. Within moments, we'd arrived at a door at the end of the hall. It was large and looked heavy; it may've been made of brass. It was lined with various carvings, the ridges adorned with rust. I saw many red stains blotched randomly across the door. I tried to shake away the thought from my head.

The door slowly creaked open.

Suddenly, I'd forgotten about everyone around me, even Vlad. All I could concentrate on was the horrifying sight before me. A foul smell entered my mouth and as I choked and tried to cough it out, I heard an echo of laughter behind me. The grey wall in front of me was suddenly all I could see; everything else around me was a blur…unimportant….

I felt light-headed and dizzy. Small blotches of yellow lights flashed in front of me as I realized this was it.

Two iron shackles were built into the cement wall of the room. All of a sudden, before I even knew what was going on, my two hands were secured in the shackles, and my body was hanging on the wall, by my wrists. My head had no choice but to hang.

I blinked repeatedly, trying to process the few words that were being spoken as I heard the door faintly creak closed.

I wanted to scream, I wanted to yell and cry all at once. I didn't understand how I could be so careless…all this had happened, because I was just too stupid to _run_…to _run_ on that night that seemed like years ago.

No…no…no! I have to stay strong! I cant break! There's a way out! There's a light at the end of the tunnel of darkness! One side of me kept screaming these things, but the other protested. **What, are you crazy? You'll never get out of this alive! **

I calmed myself at least enough to try to think things through clearly. _At least Sam's okay…_

I racked my brains thinking of an escape opportunity. But nothing…

I couldn't use my powers, that was for sure…

"Danny!"

My head jerked up at what I thought was someone calling my name. It was a soft, faint and far-away voice. But I figured I'd just imagined it, even though I heard it again.

"_Danny!_"

I closed my eyes, wishing I could just go back in time and undo this all. 

When I opened them, I was startled to see someone in the far corner of the room. There was a girl, hung by shackles, just like me. I hadn't seen her before because of the shadow cast on her wall; but there was now a little more light, so I could see.

"I-Is someone there?" I hesitated, feeling somewhat ridiculous.

"Mmmmmm…"

"Um, hello?"

"D-Danny? Is that you?"

I felt my heart jump in my throat; I knew that voice! It was that girl from the Storage Room! Her name was…it was, um…

"Gwen! Is that you?" The girl seemed to nod slightly. "How did you get here?"

She seemed a bit dizzy as well, I wondered if there was some sort of sleeping gas in the room or something.

"They did tests on me…"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Skulker saved me for something special…for tests. He and Vlad did tests on me…They turned me into a…"

"What?" I urged gently. "A what?"

"A half ghost…" she whispered.

I know it may seem insensitive and rude, but I didn't have time to lose. I knew Vlad might be watching us…or might come to check on us anytime. I had to know now. I saw the opportunity, and I just had to know.

"Did they short-circuit your powers?" No answer.

"Gwen! Answer me!" I said, hysterically. "Tell me! Can you still use your powers?"

"Powers?"

"Yes!"

"I didn't know of any powers…they never said I did have any," she said, aloof.

"Gwen, I need you to do something for me." I wasn't sure, but I had a feeling it might work. Just because Gwen didn't know of any powers, it didn't mean she didn't possess them. I mean, Skulker and Vlad weren't stupid enough to tell Gwen about powers that she could use to escape if they were planning on hanging her.

"I need you to think of something emotionally draining. A memory that either makes you really happy, really sad, angry, whatever."

She looked at me, slightly frowning.

"Please!" I pleaded desperately. "It may be our ticket out of here. If you do have powers, you'll turn invisible by making yourself feel something extreme emotion. You can get out of your shackles, free me, and we can get out of here!" I said this all in one breath.

Gwen didn't seem to understand what I'd said, but she did seem to understand I knew what was I talking about.

I saw Gwen's face turn red as she squinted her eyes and tried to think of something that made her really mad (at least that's what it looked like).

I held my breath, and almost laughed with relief as she disappeared, then reappeared in front of me, free of the shackles.

"Wow, that was amazing!" she smiled.

"Feels good, huh?"

"How did you kno-"

"No time, I'll explain later. Look, I think I know a way out of here. I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a shot. It's all we've got," I said while she turned invisible, held my hand and consequently turned me invisible, thus freeing me from the shackles.

She nodded and listened intently.

"Listen, there's a shield around the mansion. We can't get through it whether we're ghost or human. But I figure that if you can turn us both invisible, we can get out, by the underground!"

Gwen gave me a blank look.

"If we escape by turning invisible and traveling underground until we've reached the outside of the protective shield, we'll be able to escape. We wont even need a tunnel or anything, because we'll be invisible and intangible; we can fly or run or walk or whatever right through solid objects!"

Gwen looked uncertain but I won her over by reminding her that it was our only chance. I helped her practice becoming invisible and intangible, which unavoidably led to the explanation of my being half-ghost. Of course, my powers were still out of service; I'd even tried them out to make sure.

So, after a few minutes, Gwen took me by the hand, we both turned invisible, and we both delved into the ground, prepared for our escape.

I couldn't speak to her while we were underground; she might be de-concentrate herself and turn visible. I did not want to suffocate in the underground dirt.

We didn't know when we could come back up to the surface, so we just kept flying underground until we could be sure we'd ventured far away enough to no longer be on Plasmius property.

What did it feel like to be down there? Like nothing at all. It was just like being invisible on the surface of the earth, except that the atmosphere was much more…stuffy. You could still breathe though.

It didn't matter though, because before we knew it, we could both feel the midnight air flapping at our faces.

_She did it! Gwen did it!_

I wanted to scream, to run and shout. For the first time in _months, _I felt the long-forgotten and taken-for-granted outside air penetrate through my lungs. I felt the cold wind ruffle my hair; I saw the trees' beautiful shadows reflected on the ground.

I looked behind me, and sighed in relief when I realized that I could no longer see the mansion. We'd escaped! WE'D ESCAPED FOR GOOD!!

I looked around me, searching for Gwen. She was sitting on the ground, rubbing her head. She looked a little worn-out from our little "trip."

I rushed up to her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Did we make it?" she asked blearily.

"You were great Gwen! You did it! We've finally escaped!" I cried.

We decided to spend some time talking, celebrating and relaxing, before trying to find our way back home.

"So," I said eventually, "What did Vlad do to _you_?" I'd already told her my story.

She replied by saying that she'd been taken to Vlad's lab where she was tested on, repeatedly. The things they'd done to her were cruel. Absolute cruelty. In the end she'd become a ghost, and was deemed useless; a failed experiment. She was taken to be hung… (right after I was; she was forced to watch me first, just so she would be even more scared. I found out that it was her who had shouted in the midst of the crowd in the hallway. That made me smile.) But apparently, first she was taken to The Room.

"I wasn't in there alone…" she said, remembering the room that made all your worst fears come to life right in front of you, "there was another girl. She kept…um, she kept whispering…muttering your name…She'd say, _Danny, Danny_."

My eyes widened, and my cheerfulness disappeared. "Did she have black hair and purplish eyes?" I asked hurriedly. Gwen nodded slowly, startled my sudden jerkiness. "Describe her outfit," I said. She did. That confirmed it.

"That rotten, lying, dirty slime ball!" I shouted angrily. "He promised he'd sent her home!" Gwen tried to calm me, but I pushed her away.

"We've got to go back," I said my voice a low, fierce whisper.

"What?" she breathed, her eyebrows showing worry and concern, the former more prominent than the latter.

"We've got to go back."

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	12. The Room

**Hey everyone! I'm soooo sorry! You must all be soooo mad at me :S I know it took me absolutely FOREVER to get this up lol ( I felt the waait was long too lol) To be honest, i didn't really wanna put this up, because it'ssupposed to be part of another chapter, but i figured that, since it might take awhile to continue the chapter, i'd just put up what i had (which works as an independant chapter btw; i just figured it might be fun to make it one big long chapter.) It was kinda unfair of me to make you guys wait this long anyways. I was going to do this chapter in 2 perspectives, but, i guess now that it's divided, i won't need to do that! lol ok, so, here it is. I might combine it with chapter 13 when it's done. **

**I'm soory btw, but i wont be able to answer your reviews this time (limited time on the comp), but i thank you all anyways, and i'll reply to your next reviews! Enjoy!**

**Love **

**CrystalDream**

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**Sam's POV**

"STOP IT! STOP IT YOU'LL KILL HIM! STOP!" I screeched, unfamiliar with the voice emanating from my own mouth. "STOP IT!"

The large black whip lashed against the pale skin again. I screamed again. But the victim didn't even flinch. Blood trickled down from the newly formed gash on his face.

"STOP!"

_Snap!_

Another one on his calf.

"PLEASE!!"

I had refrained from crying before, but this time it all gushed out. Tears flooded from me. 'Stop!' I wanted to scream. But I had no energy left. I heard another crack of the whip; he'd been flogged again.

He fell to the ground, supporting himself only on knees and palms. His head hung, so I couldn't see his face, but I did hear faint whispers. "Stop…I promise…I'll be good…I'll be good…please…stop…"

I doubted the man with the whip could even hear him. "Please…" he said shakily. And with that, he collapsed face down.

"Oh, r_ea_lly now! Is that all it took? You know, if a simple whipping could do such a thing to you, I wonder what harm my other devices could inflict on you. You really are a pathetic wimp…" The voice said derisively. He brashly kicked the collapsed body over, so that he was now on his back. The body didn't seem to move easily.

"Don't leave me…you can't leave me…" I whispered, as I fell to the ground. I crawled closer to him, until I was right beside his body. Oblivious to the man with the whip, I took one of the strands of jet-black hair that fell in front of his eye.

My breathing accelerated, contrary to that of his. His chest heaved slowly, irregularly.

His eyelids fluttered oh so slightly. His eyes found their way up to mine.

"Sam," he said almost inaudibly, "I, I really _love_ you." And with that, he took one final breath.

I shook him. "No…NO!! Danny, come back to me! PLEASE! I NEED YOU…I…I love you too!" I sobbed desperately.

His body was kicked over by the tall man. A cruel laugh reverberated through the room. Though I wasn't in my most observatory state, I noticed the colors in Danny were becoming slightly paler. He was fading away, slowly. A snake had emerged from the ground, and began coiling itself around the body, until eventually, there was no one left; not even the snake.

My face fell into my hands. My entire world was tears. Slowly, I began to notice a faint green mist spreading throughout the room. It was the same green mist that had appeared right before this nightmare started. My ears were blocked, and I was sobbing insanely, but I could still hear faint voices. They were coming from outside the room. Suddenly, I heard a great crash, yelling, and the sound of running.

"Sam!" a relieved voice sighed.

But it couldn't be…he was…I'd just seen him die…he was supposed to be gone…

Before I knew what was happening, I felt my body being pressed into a warm chest. His arms had wrapped themselves around my shivering body. My world swirling in blurs in my head, I blindly let him embrace me, not looking or thinking at all.


	13. Mission Nearly Impossible

**Hi all! I know, i know! I'm a _very very very_ bad girl! I haven't updated in forever...again! It's so much busier now that there's school and stuff again. I guess that isnt the only reason though...I just haven't been in the mood for writing lately, y'know? It kinda bothers me though, because I _want _to write; I really do...but I just can't seem to ever get further than one or two sentences...Has that ever happened to you guys?  
Anyways, I know i deserve a large smack for not updating lol (but thanks for being understanding in that aspect anyway), but i've finally gotten it up, so enjoy! Please leave a comment too! I think the reviews are what really keep me gooing when I'm not in the mood for writing, so thanks!**

**DP fan: ****I know, lol I wish they made real ones (I would definitely get one!!) Lol there's such a lack in dp merchandise! (well, maybe they do make them…ive just never seen them lol!) Enjoy this one! **

**mizu-tatsu: ****Aw...I know, im sorry- that's my fault lol I hope this clears it up though; if not, let me know and ill be happy to explain anything to you! **

**EmoGwyddoniaeth2: ****I know, right? It's just too hard to resist! Lol well, enjoy this one aand let me know your thoughts! **

**PunkMichPhantom****Im so happy you liked it! Tell me what you think about this one too! **

**Tie-dyed Trickster: ****Thank you so much for your comments! As always, I look forward to hearing your input on this chappie as well:) **

**New Ghost** **Girl: Glad you liked! Here's the next one; read, comment and enjoy!**

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**Danny's POV**

I held her tightly in the embrace, never wanting to let her go. But I knew I didn't have a choice. It wouldn't be much longer before Vlad woke up from that punch in the stomach.

"It's okay; it wasn't real…I'm here now…" I coaxed and shushed gently, hoping Sam's tears would stop.

I sighed and looked over at Gwen, who was playing the role of a lookout at the door. She said she'd warn me if anyone was coming while I got Sam form the Room. Everything seemed fine on Gwen's side, but I knew I still didn't have time to waste. I forced myself to pull away from her. She looked up at me with the most pitiful expression I'd ever seen. If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I wouldn't have believed it was Sam doing this.

"We're gonna get you out of here, okay Sam? Don't worry, we'll get you out," I whispered, closing my eyes tightly and hoping the words were true.

I tried to help her up so I could lead her to Gwen and we could get out of there.

She just fell into my arms desperately. I sighed. Fastening my hands around her waist, I hoisted her up over my shoulder, and trudged to the door. While I was walking, I looked up to look for Gwen. I heard a muffled cry at the exact moment I raised my head.

"Danmmfy! Don'd! Hes heresh!"

"Gwen?" I asked, suddenly frantic. "Gwen! Where are you?"

"She's right here."

I spun around, almost dropping a half-conscious Sam on the ground, but thankfully, catching her just in time. My heart was beating uncontrollably. Vlad and Gwen. He had her bound in an ecto rope. She was gagged.

"I see you two came back to pay me a visit? Thank you so much! I feel so special!" he mocked happily.

I held my breath, trying to stop myself from doing something incredibly stupid. But I guess I'm just prone to stupidity, whether holding my breath or not.

"UGH! I CAN'T STAND YOU, YOU JERK! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? UGH! THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! I AM GOING TO WIPE. YOU. OOOOUUUUTT!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Lights were flashing in my mind, my head was pounding as if it were about to burst. I noticed a piece of silver glinting from one corner of the room; the one closest to the door that Vlad was standing right in front of. I let Sam down on the floor. He shot an ecto-blast at me. I lunged out of the way, dodging his attack.

I slid, causing a bit of a screechy sound against the floor. The burning sensation it caused on my stomach was barely even noticeable- that's how accustomed I'd become to pain.

I tried to crawl as discreetly as possible in the direction of the knife. But Vlad was once again, on my tail. He prepared himself to shoot a double ecto-beam at me, but just in time, I plunged for the knife, grabbing it and holding it tightly, with both hands, gainst my chest. I knew it wasn't much of a match for Vlad's powers, but it was my only chance for survival. I wanted to try out my own powers, see if they were working again, but I couldn't waste time doing that. The knife was all I had. I rolled out of the way, dodging another attack. I was holding the knife so tightly that I thought my knuckles might break.

"Alright Vlad," I said venomously, while helping myself up off the ground. "Enough of this child's play. Torturing me when I didn't stand a chance? Using your ghost powers from afar? It's time to do this right. If your going to fight me, fight me like a man." I flashed the blade toward him.

He smirked. "Man-to-man? Your no man, you're a mere boy. A worthless, pathetic _boy. _You really think highly of yourself, don't you, _slave_?"

"That's it. That last word was your last mistake, ghost." I fumed. I raised my arms with the knife high above my head, and threw myself at the ghost in front of me.

I was now on his chest, taking frantic stabs at him, hoping to finish him off quickly. But he pushed me off before I could even get the blade to make contact with something that wasn't air. I fell to the ground, rolling over a few times before landing flat on my back.

I saw him brush his chest with his hand, and then glare at me. "No, I don't think it was. But _that_,may've been yours!" he said threateningly.

I tried to roll out of the way so I wouldn't be hit by his now-blue ecto-beam, but I wasn't quick enough. I felt my body freeze up as the beam's power glowed around my body. I couldn't move a single muscle. My eyes shut involuntarily. I heard a loud bang. For a moment, I expected Vlad to come over and work the finishing touches on me. But instead, I felt a small warm hand surround my own immobile one. I suddenly felt somewhat lighter, even tangible. A strange and familiar floating sensation engulfed me. And I blacked out.

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**I know it's short, but let me know your thoughts anyways...and if anyone has advice to get me back into the writing game (lol, that sounds strange lol), it's very welcome!**


	14. We're Going Back

**Hi everyone! Yay!! This is the first quick update I've made in awhile lol Anyways, just to clear things up, this is not the last chapter. There'll be at least 1 more. Anyways, I dont have much to say, so read, comment and enjoy! (Oh by the way, I did something different in this chapter; i put two different POVS, but it made it longer and better, so i think it's okay lol)**

**New Ghost Girl: Aw, Thanks! Well, here's the update, so enoy!**

**dragon of spirits: Yay! I love it when people tell me they love my storied that much! lol Thank you so much; it makes me so happy that you loved it :) Hmm, you've got a few interesting theories there lol well, here's the next chapter, so you can find out what happens! Enjoy and tell me your thoughts!**

**EmoGwyddoniaeth2: Yeah, I suppose, lol Well, I hope your test went well! Enjoy this chapter and comment your opinons!**

**PunkMichPhantom: lol thanks, i'm really happy you liked it :) here's the next one; enjoy and tell me your thoughts!**

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**Danny's POV**

I felt a tingle go up my spine. My whole body was freezing- I felt as though my body had been frozen in a glacier. I couldn't feel or move my fingers. But suddenly, a small mass of warmth laid itself on my hand. I tried to open my eyes, unsuccessfully. Eventually, an obscure blur found its way into my vision. It was Gwen.

"What?" I mumbled. "What's going on?"

"You're okay! You're okay! Oh Danny! I was so worried!" her voice quivered as a tear dropped from her face and onto mine. She hastily wiped it off of me, embarrassed.

"Gwen, what in the world just happened?" I whispered hazily. Her quiet tears morphed into audible sobs as she attempted to speak and communicate her answer to me. My head was swirling and colored blotches were floating before me. My temples pounded and banged against the sides of my head. My body was still freezing as though I was on Pluto. But I forced myself to sit up.

"Gwen, what happened?" I repeated firmly, yet with a touch of gentleness, so as to be considerate toward her feelings and crying.

"I-I tried to break free from the ecto- the ecto-," she stopped and took a great breath of air before continuing, "I tried to break free from the ecto-rope, and I did…Right before Vlad was about to finish you off...I stunned him momentarily and grabbed you and Sam and tur-"

"Sam!" I remembered suddenly. "Where is she? Where did she go?"

Gwen shut her eyes tightly for a moment, and with a sigh pointed a small distance away from us. I saw Sam's body sprawled across the ground. I ran over to her. She had a bruise on her face and a few light cuts on her arm, but that was it. I shook her arm carefully. "Sam, are you there? Are you okay?" Her eyelids fluttered slightly, and she looked at me, a small smile forming one her face. "Danny…you're alive…you're really here."

"Of course I am Sam. I'll never leave you," I whispered, brushing a strand of her hair off from her eye.

I jumped a little when a voice whispered in my ear. "Daniel…I'm back. And this time…you're not getting away."

I looked around me and saw no one, but the voice echoed again, over and over in my head. Threats and promises reverberated in my mind.

I felt myself involuntarily getting up and running around, though I couldn't see in fromt of me. I felt and heard myself screaming. "Stop! You're not here! LEAVE ALREADY! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

A small sting touched my skin, and I blacked out.

**Sam's POV**

I was now sitting up, wakened by the commotion. I stared at the scene in front of me in disbelief.

"What did you do!" I yelled, not caring how loud my voice echoed through the woods. A stranger, a girl about my age was standing next to Danny, and had just slapped him. I ran over to him. I cradled his head in my arms. "Who are you?" I asked the strange girl defensively.

"Relax," she said, clearly annoyed about something. "He would've collapsed anyways, he was weak. I did him a favor by knocking him out. Now he won't be going crazy on us, or himself."

"Who are you?" I repeated, firmly. I was only vaguely aware of the fact that we were out in a forest, and not in that little room of Vlad's. I was only somewhat conscious of the fact that it had been a nightmare, and not real life. I felt a bit weary, but I decided my rest had to wait until after I figured out who this random person was.

"I'm sorry…that was rude…I just…" she sighed. "I'm Gwen. I met Danny while he was being held hostage by Skulker. See, I'm from Amity too." She concluded.

I looked at her suspiciously. After this whole episode, I wasn't too keen on the idea of trusting just anyone.

I didn't think she'd start talking again, but she did. She told me everything. About how they escaped the dungeon, about how they came back for me, and about how she's saved me and Danny. I decided she couldn't be all bad.

I gave her a short introduction about myself, and told her my story as well. In fact, before we knew it, an hour had passed, and we had actually become rather good friends. I'd almost forgotten about Danny, who was still next unconscious.

"Oh my goodness! Danny!"

"Hmm…yeah…you have a point; we need to get him to a hospital…quick. I can try flying us to Amity, but it'll be hard. I don't even know what direction to go in!"

Gwen had told me about her powers. I didn't like her idea too much…but I agreed that it was our only way out. We could always walk, but if we flew, we'd be able to see the towns and stuff below us.

Gwen turned Danny invisible. "If he's invisible, he'll be lighter to carry. But I don't know how long it will last, so we'll have to be very alert." I nodded. She slung some air which I suspected was Danny onto her shoulder. I held onto her forearm, and we began our journey home.

The flying was beautiful. We could see everything from up in the sky, and Gwen could fly very high for long periods of time, though we would take breaks frequently. For awhile at first, all we saw were trees and forests. Eventually, signs of towns and buildings and other such things appeared.

We reached a town that looked like it was heavily-populated, and decided to ask for directions. Apparently, according to the guy at the gas station, we had to turn a mile back and turn left.

Gwen swooped down on a familiar looking landscape, and she, I, and an invisible Danny came face to face with what seemed like the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life: a large purply sign saying that read : AMITY PARK! A NICE PLACE TO LIVE!

Almost believing I was still with Vlad, and that he had put me in a room where my wildest dreams come true, just to make me suffer when I'd come back out, I looked around. It was almost dawn, and we'd been flying since almost midnight. The city was still sleeping, so no one could see us. I smiled as I recognized certain familiar buildings. Gwen had been taking care of getting Danny back to normal. I supposed it'd become a bit harder since she was so worn out from the travel.

Of course, it wasn't time to party or celebrate just yet; we were still confronted with a dilemma.

"Where do we go from here?" Gwen sighed.

"Uh…home?" I replied.

"We can't just appear at home. We've been lost for at least two moths…They'll freak out!"

"I think that no matter what our entrance, they'll freak out to see us anyway."

"Well…well," she seemed to be trying to think of an excuse, "What about Danny? He still hasn't woken up since five hours ago! And he's obviously in a poor state!" she pointed out hurriedly.

"The hospital is open 24/7. I think we should take him home, and let his parents…or maybe his sister, decide what to do with him. But I'm sure they'll want him in the hospital as well."

"Well…I think it's a bad idea to go home." She said bluntly.

Normally, I may've been offended, but for some reason, I decided to take a calmer tone with her, feeling there was something more than defiance underlying the problem.

"Come on Gwen! We're home! We've escaped. Aren't you excited? Don't you want to go to your house?" I asked, a little surprised.

She turned her back on me. "I don't have a home," she whispered, her arms crossed.

I didn't know what to say, but I didn't need to know. She spoke.

"My parents moved me here from Florida to live with my uncle. I hate it. I want to go back to my real home."

"Why did they move you out here?" I asked gently.

"Because they think I'll get a better education since he's one of my teachers. They think that this way, he'll be able to tutor me at home if I need help."

"Well, who is your uncle?"

"Uncle Lancer."

I almost jumped back in surprise. "_You're_ related to _Lancer_?"

"Don't remind me…I try to forget that part," she said with a scoff that I suspected carried a laugh somewhere underneath.

"He's not mean or anything…it's just embarrassing at school…and people make fun of me all the time…"

"How come I've never seen you at Casper High?"

"I dunno…I just started…"

"Oh…"

"Anyways, I'm just being selfish…you should go home, and take Danny too…I'll figure something out."

"Hey, Gwen," I said as she turned to leave, "Here's my number," I picked up a pen from the ground and wrote my phone number and my cell number on her arm, "Call me anytime. And if anyone bothers you at school, let me know. I'll deal with them."

Gwen beamed, "Are you serious?"

I beamed back at her.

Then, out of nowhere, she ran up to me and gave me a hug. She reminded me of a lost little kid. "Thanks Sam, you rock!"

"Visit us at the hospital, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll bet I'll see you there. Lancer's gonna definitely want to check out this whole ghost power thing. If I decide to tell him…that is," she smiled probably thinking of all the possibilities her new powers held.

With a satisfied smile, I slung Danny over my shoulder, (hey, he was a lot lighter now that he hadn't eaten in weeks), and carried him toward the Fenton's.

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	15. Family and Friends

**Well everyone, here it is! The last chapter of What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!!! Whew! I think this deserves a large round of applause! lol I'm kinda sad though, because I enjoyed writing it, but it's a nice feeling of accomplishment anyways. Lol After this, I'll be working on another DP story (maybe two, though…if you'd like to see the sum****maries, it's in my profile) I want to thank everyone who participated in making this story a reality (I sound like im giving an Oscar's speech or something lol), and that means all my awesome reviewers, and everyone who faved or alerted for this story, because it's you guys who inspire and motivate me! You guys all rock so hard! **

**PunkMichPhantom: Lol ya, so did I lol Anyways, I really wanna thank you for reviewing and keeping up with the story for so long! Enjoy this last chapter!**

**Tie-dyed Trickster: Lol I'm glad you found it funny lol And I have some great news for you: you can obliterate Vlad right now! (but I recommend reading the chappie first, just in case lol) I'm so glad you liked the chapter and the story, and I really hope you enjoy thid last chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you so much for reviewing too (im gonna miss your long reviews lol) enjoy this last one!**

**New Ghost Girl: Here it is! The last one :( Oh well, it was bound to happen lol enjoy this chapter, and thanks for reviwing!**

**dragon of spirits:lol, tell me about it…even I didn't expect it lol Thanks so much for reviewing and for being so enthusiastic bout the story, and enjoy the last chapter!**

**EmoGwyddoniaeth2: Aw, it was cute, wasn't it?lol I'm glad you liked the chappie! Thank you so much for reviewing and reading, and enjoy this last chapter**!

**Okay enjoy the last chapter!**

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**Danny's POV**

"Just press this button if you need anything, sweetie," the blonde nurse smiled as she closed my curtain and left the room. I'd been in the hospital for a few days now, recovering. They said I'd had a brief mild case of hallucination, and went into temporary delirium. I was bound to go crazy from Vlad at some point, right? I decided not to tell them about my powers however, since they weren't Vlad's fault anyways, and I still had that gut feeling that I shouldn't tell anyone.

My parents and Jazz had just left my dorm a few hours ago. Naturally, they, and everyone else who'd visited me so far, including Tucker, had wanted to know the whole story. I told them bits and pieces…pretty much a general idea of what happened, but I wasn't comfortable going into details, like talking about the Room, and the torture and stuff. My sister had brought me a book to read (about astronomy), and mom was forced to leave the hospital early because she almost knocked over one of the night tables while screaming, "I'll get that ghost! How dare he touch my baby!" (Jazz called me later and assured me mom had calmed down and that she missed me very much and sent her love).

Life at the hospital was getting kind of mundane, but I wasn't complaining. I'd rather be here than you-know-where any day. The meals were only a little better than airplane food, but to me, they were the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted. It was also the only thing I'd eaten in two months. They brought me lots of food, more often than just the three regular meals and snacks everyday, because they said I needed extra nutrition.

Gwen had visited and left me a box of chocolates, and Tuck had brought me a couple of videogames for entertainment (though he was in quite a hurry to leave the building). Every two to three hours or so, a nurse would come rewrap my bandages around my wounds. The doctors said I just needed to relax for awhile and regain my strength, and I'd be as good as new. I still didn't know exactly how long I'd be at the hospital however.

I let myself sink into the fluffy linen on the soft mattress. My pillow engulfed my face as I smiled in peace. All of a sudden, a voice came from next to me.

"Daniel, you have another visitor," said a familiar voice belonging to a certain blonde nurse said. I lifted my head and nodded. She opened the curtain and let my visitor come in.

Sam, with a bandage on her left hand, waved at me with a shy smile. The nurse left us alone, and Sam sat on the edge of my bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked, her hand laying gently on my wrapped stomach. I winced slightly and she quickly withdrew her hand. I answered with a nervous laugh.

"What about you?" I asked.

"Well, the doctors said it wasn't anything big, just a few scratches here and there. They cleaned them up before they got infected, and I should be out of here by tonight or tomorrow."

I guess she saw the disappointment on my face, because she quickly added, "Don't worry though, I'll come visit everyday!" We both laughed.

"Thanks…" I said. I felt a bit awkward, not knowing what to say to her.

"Um, Danny?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks. For coming back for me."

"Forget it, Sam. You know I would've never left you there."

"Yeah, I know," she smiled.

"Hey," she remembered suddenly, pulling something out of her backpack, "I brought you a sandwich from the Nasty Burger. Ordinarily I'm completely against letting anyone near this stuff, but I figured you could use a break from meatloaf and lasagna."

I laughed. "Aw, thanks Sam. It smells great," I said taking the burger. She wrinkled her nose. "Smells nasty if you ask me," she said. I laughed again, and a bit of ketchup fell from the burger onto my chin. She laughed.

"Well I gotta go, I guess," she said, grabbing her backpack and making to leave.

"Sam," I said, stopping her. She turned her upper body slightly to face me.

"You know I'm gonna get him back, right? You do know I'm gonna get even?"

Sam looked at the ground, her expression unreadable.

"As soon as I find out how to use these powers right, I'm gonna grab some equipment from my parent's lab and finish him off. He's not getting away with this." I don't know why I told her this, but I felt like I needed to.

"Get better soon, Danny," she finally said as she rose her gaze from the ground and looked at me. And with that, she left.

I sighed. There were many different thoughts going through my head, and I couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened. But, sinking into my pillow once more, I decided those were all for another day, and today, I was just happy to be home.

* * *

**So, what did ya think of the ending? Even though there won't be another chapter, I'd still like to know your thoughts on the story as a whole, and on the ending. (I'll probably reply to those reviews in email though, since i won't have anywhere else to reply; so check your email! lol). Once again, thank you soooo much everyone. I really hope to talk to you again during one of my other stories:) ♥♥**

**Thanks to: Tie-dyed Trickster, Belthasar, Danni Lea,Dawn GrayManson, EmoGwyddoniaeth2, Mythicaldragoness, New Ghost Girl, OddBallBlue, PunkMichPhantom, Tomed Ceht, broken0dream, dragon of spirits, fireabe90, mizu-tatsu, JLBShecky, Silver Shadowbreeze, The dark and Evil PHANTOM, TrashBinSouvenir, WTF is a 'PenName', broken0dream, cherryblossom51, dessyweird51, dragon of spirits, gjcooli, iluvlucy7, naitodoragon, orangecountycruiser2, phantomschica, technogrl15, DP fanThunderstorm101dannyluver4evah, Illustriously Unsound, bailey[vicious™, blah blah blah, FaLlEn-AnGeL627, Kalaia, Din Kelion, lokkish.**

**Thanks again!**

**Love,**

**Crystal**


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